Child Care Referral

High quality child care is an investment in the future of your child. Great child care programs exist, but finding them can be difficult and time-consuming. Windham Child Care Association assists parents in locating child care that meets their family's needs by providing resources and referrals to licensed centers (including preschools) and registered family child care providers. Windham Child Care Family Services Coordinators can counsel parents about identifying quality child care.

How to use the Child Care Referral Service

Call Windham Child Care at 254-5332, Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:30 PM. Our Child Care Referral Specialist will gather information about your children, the type of care you are seeking, geographic area, and hours of care needed. She will discuss the available child care options that meet your family's needs. Finally, she will send a packet (via email or postal mail) with potential child care options, information about paying for child care, tips to help you identify high quality care, and information about other Windham County resources. You can complete a referral form online and one of our Family Services Coordinators will contact you when it's convenient for you: http://www.windhamchildcare.org/referral-form.html

Types of Care Available

Windham Child Care refers parents to center and family based programs in our area that are regulated by the State of Vermont.

• Child Care Centers care for children of varying ages. The State of Vermont requires them to meet minimum health, safety, program, staffing and training requirements. Children are usually grouped in rooms by age. Centers often include preschool programs. Most centers provide year-round schedules, with no options for weekend or evening care.
• Nursery Schools are generally part day programs for preschool age children (3-5 years). They are open during the school year only, with a few exceptions. State regulations for nursery schools are the same as those for centers.
• Family Child Care Homes provide care for children of varying ages. The maximum number of children in registered homes is 10 (2 under the age of two, 4 preschoolers and 4 school-age children). Licensed Family Child Care Homes can care for up to 12 children and a second adult is present when more than 6 children attend. With the exception of children under the age of two, these numbers do not include the provider's own children. Children are cared for in the provider's own home, usually in a mixed age group. A few providers (not many!) provide evening and weekend care. The State of Vermont requires providers to meet minimum safety, health, and training requirements.

For more information about state regulations for centers, family child care homes or preschools, go to http://www.state.vt.us/srs/childcare/licensing/license.htm or call the state's Child Care Licensing Division at 1-800-649-2642.

If you have a concern about a licensed or registered program, call the Child Care Consumer Concern Line at 1-800-540-7942. This hotline can also be used to find out information about a program's licensing history within the past year.

Steps to Finding Child Care

1. Begin as early as possible. The demand for care exceeds available resources.
2. Call Windham Child Care Association for Windham County at 802.254.5332 (or toll free at 886.254.5332).
   • Ask about characteristics of high quality care, state child care regulations, and available local resources.
   • Request profiles of programs that may meet your need.
3. Screen programs/providers over the phone: Ask about ages of children cared for, hours, number of children in your child's group, program philosophy, staff background and training, and any other critical concerns you may have.
4. Make an appointment to visit the center or provider's home.
5. During the visit, use a quality checklist to help determine if the program meets your needs.

What is High Quality Care?

High quality child care protects your child's safety, provides a stimulating and nurturing learning environment and offers children a loving, warm relationship with an adult they can trust.

When visiting and observing child care programs, four key areas will help you focus your thoughts. Find out as much as you can about the people (staff/provider), program (activities/schedule), place (center or home) and policies (procedure/philosophy).

There are many resources available online, including checklists you can bring on visits. Some that we have found helpful are:

• http://www.childcareaware.org/en/tools/pubs/
• http://www.nncc.org/Choose.Quality.Care/dc36_choose.care.html
• http://www.vermontchildcare.org/CCandYou.pdf
• http://www.vermontchildcare.org/infant.pdf
• http://www.vermontchildcare.org/preschool.pdf

What To Do If You Can't Find Child Care That Meets Your Needs

1. Keep in touch with your local child care resource and referral agency. New openings are regularly identified.
2. Consider child care in a different location - on your way to work or near work. Try a different route to work.
3. Ask friends and neighbors for ideas and referrals.
4. Discuss your child care needs with your employer and co-workers. They may have ideas.
5. Make short-term plans but don't give up on looking for a suitable long-term arrangement.
6. Get on waiting lists for programs you like.
7. If you advertise for a nanny to come into your home, be sure to check references carefully.

To complete a referral request online: http://www.windhamchildcare.org/referral-form.html

To complete a parent feedback form online: http://www.windhamchildcare.org/parent-feedback.html