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Children's Aid & Family Service
Child Care Information & Referrals
Child Care Resources (CCR) receives funding from the Department of Early Education and Care to make it possible for families to receive childcare referral services at no cost to them.
Child Care Resources does not recommend or endorse any particular provider or agency. Referrals are given at the request of the client/consumer. The selections made should be of the client/consumers own personal preference. CCR shall not be held liable for any direct, incidental, consequential, indirect, or punitive claims. The final decision of any referral is directly and exclusively the responsibility of the client/consumer.
All information collected will be held in strict confidence and will not be discussed or otherwise shared with persons who do not have a legitimate need to know about such information.
Choosing Child Care
Choosing a program for your child is a very personal choice for each family. The best program is the one that matches your child’s personality and interests. Also, a program should be well matched with your family’s philosophies, beliefs and should provide a healthy and safe environment that is educational, fun and nurturing.
Choosing child care is just the first step. It is important to keep open communication and to have an active role in your child’s care in order to promote a successful experience for you and for your child.
Online Referrals
Clients able to do their own search for cities and towns served by Fitchburg Child Care Resources agency only:
From here, clients will be connected to our database. They will need to fill out required information that is needed to allow a comparative search to be made. The information gathered will be based upon the information that is requested on line. If questions arise, please contact an Information and Referral Counselor @ 978.343.7395 at ext. 22. |
Email Option - referrals provided within one business day: If you choose to have referrals sent via email, the usual time for a reply is one business day. If, for whatever reason, a counselor is unable to comply with that request, a call will be placed by the counselor to the family requesting care to inform them as to when they will receive their information. If questions arise, please contact an Information and Referral Counselor @ 978.343.7395 at ext. 22 or email at laloisi@sevenhills.org |
Types of Child Care
Almost all child care provided outside a child’s own home, whether it be
in a child care center, an after school program, or in a family child care
home, must be licensed or authorized by EEC. There are different types
of licensed providers for which EEC sets rules for health, safety, and
staffing:
Center-Based Programs
Centers serve a large number of children full or part-time in groups or classrooms. They are usually open year round. Children are usually grouped according to age and each program offered is different in terms of curriculum, educational philosophy, and costs.
- Infant/Toddler: care offered between birth through two years and nine months of age.
- Nursery Schools, Preschools, and Pre-K: care offered between two years and nine months to kindergarten age.
- Early Head Start/Head Start: care offered between infants through five years old. This program is offered to low income families, children with disabilities and families who receive public assistance.
- School-Age: care offered between five through fourteen years of age. These programs are sometimes called extended day or after school programs. They usually provide childcare before and/or after school and/or during school vacations.
Family Child Care
Family child care is care which is provided inside of a home. Children’s ages may range from infant through school age. Programs may serve between a maximum of six or ten children (with an additional assistant).
Make sure the current license for all these programs is posted in a prominent location, which is easily visible.
Some Family Child Care Providers are part of a Family Child Care System. This program offers additional support to providers and the families they serve.
Early Care & Education and Out-of-School Time Options:
Parents have a few choices for Early Care and School Age Care. One choice is using a Licensed Home Provider which is a person who is licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care to offer childcare for children in their home. They can accommodate several different ages, their group size is small, they are more flexible in providing part time care and they can offer a more one-on-one setting.
A licensed School-Age Program is another choice for parents. These programs are also licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care and the ages they offer care for are 5yrs to 12 yrs. They are usually in a Center setting with a classroom environment, a classroom is made up of children of the same age group, all toys, supplies, materials, activities and curriculum is customized to the development stages of School Age children.
Other choices may include programs that are located in schools, churches or other settings that offer childcare. These types of programs are exempt from license status through the Department of Early Education and Care depending on their overseeing entity.
School-Age programs usually offer care starting from Kindergarten through 6th grade, and may be open during the summer and school vacations.
Other Authorized Programs
EEC also authorizes programs that are license-exempt which is dependent upon their overseeing entity, such as Public School Preschool and School Age Programs. To find out if your local Public School offers an early childhood program call your local public school or visit the Department of Education’s web site at: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/
Group Size
Ask a provider what their group size is on a daily basis. A smaller group will allow a caregiver to provide more attention to the children.
Licensing and/or Regulations
Always check with your provider to see what their program is licensed for
| Child Care Center: | Family Child Care Setting: |
| Check what the classroom size is, how many teachers are in the classroom and if there are any aides to assist at any time during the day. | Check with the provider to see how many children are with them throughout the day. A child will benefit from a smaller group of children where their personal needs can be met. |
The State of Massachusetts licensing requirements for a Center are:
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The State of Massachusetts licensing regulations for a Family Childcare Provider are:
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Caregiver Education and Turnover
It is good to check with a provider to see how long their staff have been at the Center or been offering care in their homes. A child will benefit if they see the same faces everyday to ensure a daily routine and schedule.
Find out from any adult working with your child what their training, certifications or experiences are both recent and in the past. What qualifications, college courses or degrees they might have or are in the process of achieving in the field of Early Care and Education.
Health and Safety
Any program must offer a clean, healthy and safe environment. Some key things to look out for would be:
- The dedicated area for children is child proofed (outlets are covered, small or dangerous objects are out of child’s reach, covered radiators) and that there is enough space to move about freely.
- Exits are visible and are easily identified with an exit plan.
- The outdoor area is clean, has appropriate equipment and enough space for children to play and move about.
- That toys and equipment are age appropriate, well maintained and in good condition.
Accreditation It is good to find out if the childcare provider has any accreditation from a national organization. When a provider has this type of accreditation, they have voluntarily met the standard for childcare that are higher than most states licensing requirements. Programs that meet these standards provide a safe and healthy environment for children, have teachers who are well-trained, have access to excellent teaching materials and work with curriculum that is appropriately challenging and developmentally sound. Please visit the following website for more information regarding accreditation:
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Family Involvement
Try to find out how you can be involved as a parent by:
- Offering to stop by for a story, snack lunch helper or even an activity.
- See if the program is in need of any volunteers. Providers always can use an extra set of hands and it can be quality time with your child.
- Check in at drop-off and pick-up time to see how your child is doing and how things are going.
Financial Assistance
Information on subsidies for accessing voucher day care services, state contracted income eligible slots and sliding fee contracts through local community partnerships are made available to families.
Gross monthly income and family size will be checked and compared to the guidelines that are comprised by the State of Massachusetts. If families fall within these guidelines, they will be placed on the income eligible waitlist until funding is made available for a Child Care Voucher.
For more information on accessing financial assistance please contact:
South Worcester County: Child Care Resources - Worcester Site Cities and Towns: Auburn, Bellingham, Blackstone, Boylston, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton, Cherry Valley, Douglas, Dudley, E. Brookfield, E. Douglas, Franklin, Grafton, Holden, Holland, Hopedale, Jefferson, Leicester, Manchaug, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, OR www.massresources.org/area_assistance.cfm?pageID=8&MainPage=’yes’ |
Click on the link below to print out information regarding additional financial assistance programs throughout the community:
Additional Community Assistance Programs pg 1 [.pdf]
Elija el enlace abajo para imprimir información sobre programas adicionales de asistencia financiera por toda la comunidad: Programas de Asistencia de Comunidad Adicionales pg 1. [.pdf]
Click on the link below to print out information regarding additional childcare financial assistance programs throughout the community:
Additional Community Assistance Programs pg 2 [.pdf]
Elija el enlace abajo para imprimir información sobre programas de asistencia financiera para cuidado de niños por toda la comunidad: Programas de Asistencia para la comunidad Adicionales pg 2. [.pdf]
Complaint Policy – Resource & Referral
All complaints related to this agency (CCR) should be directed to the Site Manager or Affiliate Vice President at 978.343.7395. However, individuals may contact, at their discretion, the applicable state or federal regulating authority.
Complaint Policy – Child Care Providers
CCR supports and encourages families to report complaints regarding Child Care Providers directly to the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) 508.798.5180 and/or the Department of Social Services (DSS) 800.792.5200. The purpose of this policy is to protect the rights of children and families involved with CCR. This policy also supports the authority of EEC to determine whether a child care provider is in compliance with state regulations governing child care programs; and CCR’s role in helping providers improve the quality of services they offer.
Online Referrals
Clients able to do their own search for cities and towns served by Fitchburg Child Care Resources agency only:
From here, clients will be connected to our database. They will need to fill out required information that is needed to allow a comparative search to be made. The information gathered will be based upon the information that is requested on line. If questions arise, please contact an Information and Referral Counselor @ 978.343.7395 at ext. 22. |
Email Option - referrals provided within one business day: If you choose to have referrals sent via email, the usual time for a reply is one business day. If, for whatever reason, a counselor is unable to comply with that request, a call will be placed by the counselor to the family requesting care to inform them as to when they will receive their information. If questions arise, please contact an Information and Referral Counselor @ 978-343-7395 at ext. 22. or email at laloisi@sevenhills.org |
Children's Aid & Family Service
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Copyright © 2006 Seven Hills Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
