FREE Marketing Tool for Child Care Providers

Child Care Answers is excited to announce a new, FREE way to market your business. This is an exclusive benefit that is available only to child care programs who are rated a level 2, 3 or 4 on Paths to QUALITY.

Child Care Online highlights your child care site on Child Care Answers website. More then 350 parents a month visit our site to find care for their children, by participating in Child Care Online your program will stand out to these parents.

Child Care Online will launch May 11 around the state with lots of MEDIA attention. In fact Kara Kenney from WRTV Channel 6 news will be in our office next week to have a sneak peak at this exciting new way for parents to choose their child care.

Don’t let Child Care Online go live on May 11 without having your child care program highlighted.

Need more information? Watch this short video then call Crystal Givens at 317-926-3401 to find out how to get started.

Child Abuse and Neglect in Child Care

For the Second time this week I have turned the television on to discover news reports of Child Abuse and Neglect in 2 separate Central Indiana Child Care programs. You can read the latest story here. This greatly saddens all of us here at Child Care Answers! Training and Technical assistance can greatly reduce incidents like what we have seen this week.
Please remember that Child Care Answers is here to be your resource to help you through the stressful situations that often occur in child care. On April 16th Child Care Answers will hold our second annual Cherish the Children: Preventing Child Abuse Conference. This is a wonderful conference that will have several experts providing break out sessions. Are you looking for a specific type of training? You can find our latest training calendar by visiting us on our website. What about some advice for your child care classroom? You can receive mentoring for you and your program FREE of charge by joining Paths to QUALITY. Child Care Answers also has an Inclusion Specialist and an Infant and Toddler Specialist that can visit your program to help you work through some of your most challenging situations.
Child Care Answers is just a phone call away! You can reach us Monday - Friday by calling 317-631-4643. Together we can ensure that ALL children are in SAFE, Developmentally Appropriate child care sites!

Child Care Answers response to recent media story

In light of the recent report of possible child abuse at a Lawrence unlicensed registered ministry our Program Director, Mindy Bennett sent this letter to local media.

My name is Mindy Bennett and I am the Director of Programs for Child Care Answers the Child Care Resource and Referral agency that services Central Indiana. We are a free service that helps parents locate and evaluate child care options for their children. In November alone we helped over 450 families with their child care search. We have a database of over 1400 child care providers that we provide training and mentoring opportunities to.

I want to thank you for running the story about the possible abuse of a child at Little Miracles child care. All children that are in child care deserve to be in safe, high quality child care programs. All child care sites in Indiana should be required to have trained staff and required to ensure that their environments are safe for children.

In Indiana, Ministries that provide child care are not required to be licensed. Ministries that provide child care are required to be registered with the state of Indiana, while this registration does have some regulation attached to it the regulations are far fewer then that of a licensed child care center. Little Miracles is an unlicensed registered ministry. You can compare the regulation requirements of a ministry to licensed homes and licensed centers by following this link to find our regulation comparison chart http://www.childcareanswers.com/PDF_Docs/FacilityRegulations.pdf. It is important to note that some Unlicensed Registered Child Care Ministries do voluntarily go above the requirements.

The staff at Child Care Answers works daily with child care providers by training them and providing on site technical assistance to ensure that children are kept safe while their parents work or attend school. We have Specialists that are a free resource to child care providers and parents who can provide specific training on issues related to guidance and discipline and other child care related issues.

I know that this incident has left many families scared and confused about leaving their children in child care. Please let your viewers know that Child Care Answers is here to help families with our free services during this troubled time. We have a team of specialists that can help families with their specific questions about child care and how to tell if a program is providing safe, quality care. We are only a phone call away; you can reach us at 317-631-4643. Parents can also find valuable tools on our website at http://www.childcareanswers.com/.

Click here to read more about the story.

NACCRRA urges all to Take Action Now!

**BREAKING NEWS**ALERT: CALLS STILL NEEDED! Take Action!


Call Your Senators TODAY to Support Increased Funding for Child Care!!!

Child Care Spending Needs to Be Increased to Ensure the Safety of Our Children

Today could be the day the Senate takes up a year-long funding bill (referred to as the omnibus funding bill). Funding for all federal programs is at stake. The House of Representatives passed a year-long funding measure with a $400 million increase in child care funding for next year. The Senate bill includes $2.8 billion for child care – an increase of about $700 million! Let your Senators know that getting the economy back on track hinges on parents being able to afford child care. The Senate vote could be today!

What happens next? Senators need to adopt the omnibus bill. The House needs to either pass the omnibus bill or negotiate the differences between the two bills in a conference committee. The federal government is currently operating under a continuing resolution (CR) until Saturday. Call your Senators TODAY -- especially if you are from the states of AK, CO, FL, IN, ME, MN, MO, MS, OH, and WV -- to tell him/her to support the omnibus appropriations bill with $2.8 billion for child care. Every call counts! We are counting on you to weigh in – every Senator needs to know that the omnibus bill is important and child care funding is critical to working parents.

Take Action! TODAY!

1. The toll-free number to call is 1-877-227-3801. This will connect you to the U.S. Senate Operator.

2. The first person to answer will be an operator who will ask how you want to be connected. Tell the operator the name of your Senator. If you’re not sure, [click here] to find out.

3. Once you are connected to the office of your Senator, a staff person will answer the phone. Please say:

· My name is (name) and I’m calling from (city, state).

· “I’m calling to urge your support for the omnibus appropriations bill, which includes $2.8 billion for child care.

· Working parents need child care. Make child care a priority to help people get and keep a job!”

4. After your call please forward this notice on to all of your friends and/or coworkers to also have them make a call. We must continue to let Congress know that it is critical to invest in early childhood funding. AFTER YOUR CALL, follow-up with an email to your Senator by clicking here.

300,000 Children Could Lose Care

A broad coalition of early childhood advocacy groups is urging early childhood professionals to call on Washington about funding TODAY. Here is their message:

Congress is back in Washington today and has limited time to do some important work: ensure that funding is not cut for child care and Head Start before the end of the year.

Watch this video and share it with your friends and coworkers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7pEQ_pUaOk

Then, call Congress!!

As many as to 300,000 children stand to lose child care and Head Start, and we need to create the Early Learning Challenge Fund to encourage states to do even better for young children and families. Congress i s considering appropriations bills that could go backwards in spending for child care and Head Start, and would lose the Early Learning Challenge Fund.


Tell Congress to move forward and fund the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, and the Early Learning Challenge Fund.

1.Call 1-888-460-0813

2.The first person to answer the phone will be an operator who will ask how you want to be connected. Tell the operator the name of your Member of Congress. (Not sure? Look it up here: http://action.ececonsortium.org/

3.Once you are connected to the office of your Member of Congress, a staff person will answer the phone. Tell the staff person:
■ My name is (name) and I am calling from (city, state) and I am (your role).
■ Don’t drop 300,000 children from child care and Head Start. Make sure that continued funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start is NOT REDUCED in the appropriations bill and that the Early Learning Challenge Fund is included.
■ We are counting on you here in (state). Thank you.

4.Then, hang up and ask five friends or coworkers to make a call as well.