OCFS Announces over $1 Million to Expand and Improve Child Care

RENSSELAER, NY (06/27/2007)(readMedia)-- New York State Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS) Commissioner Gladys Carrión, Esq., today announced the award of $1,061,758 in grants to expand and improve New York's child care facilities. The grants will enhance safety at existing child care facilities; create 163 new child care slots for New York's families; and support innovative approaches to improving child care across the state.

“Quality, safe and reliable child care is essential to all parents and caregivers,” said Commissioner Carrión. “These grants will help provide for safer and healthier environments in which children across New York State can learn and grow.”

The grants are being awarded to 38 organizations in the following categories: Day Care and School Age Child Expansion; Health and Safety grants in excess of $15,000 for day care centers and school age child care programs; Health and Safety grants under $15,000 for day care centers and school age child care programs; and innovations to promote the quality, accessibility and affordability of child care.

Two of the programs funded are part of the Innovative Program Initiative. This initiative helps awardees implement creative new approaches to emerging needs in child care. Past awardees have used this funding to conduct research and development initiatives that may someday lead to improvements in the quality of child care throughout the state, especially in areas where, traditionally, there has been a shortage of quality child care services. These programs also work to research public-private partnerships and assess, analyze, and respond to the emerging needs of unique populations.

The Child Care Resources of Rockland’s innovative proposal will test several approaches to shared services that can help child care businesses succeed. They will work to develop a range of shared fiscal, management, human resource, and support services to help child care programs operate more efficient businesses and reach economies of scale.

Family Health Network of Central New York’s innovative proposal will partner with the Cortland Area Child Care Council, Cortland Child Development Center, and Cortland YWCA in offering an on-site mobile health clinic at each of four child care centers in Cortland. The health clinic will spend one day a week at each center. The clinic staff will provide health services for the children, training for the child care staff in the centers, and pre-employment physicals for new hires to help them start their jobs more quickly.

Choosing child care is a very important decision to families. To help parents with child care selection, OCFS produced the "As you think about child care..." parent education materials that feature a general information brochure and three checklists designed to help parents and other caregivers better understand what to look for when selecting safe, quality child care. The very practical and easy-to-read materials provide parents and other caregivers with suggestions and tips for evaluating child care providers when visiting and comparing programs. The three different checklists are geared toward infants/toddlers, 3- to 5-year-olds, and school-age children.

The general information brochure and three age-appropriate checklists are available from OCFS by calling 1-800-345-KIDS, or by visiting www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/publications and scrolling down to Child Day Care Services. The general information brochure and day care checklists are available on the website in the Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Arabic languages. The child care parent education materials also are available through local child care resource and referral agencies and local social services districts.

Governor Spitzer recently announced several strategic initiatives that aim to place the health and well-being of children and families as a top policy priority. On April 20, Governor Spitzer announced his Children's Agenda, a comprehensive strategy to ensure that all of New York’s children are given an equal opportunity for success. On June 14, Governor Spitzer announced an Executive Order establishing his Children’s Cabinet, an ongoing task force of high-level state officials to advance programs and policies to benefit children. The Governor’s Children’s Cabinet priorities include helping to ensure the successful implementation of the Governor’s plan for providing health insurance coverage for currently uninsured children and offering high quality pre-kindergarten programs to young children.

Health and Safety, Expansion, and Innovative awardees are listed below by county:

County/Program Amount Type

Albany County

Trinity Institute-Homer Perkins Center $6,582 H & S under

Sunny Days Day Care $9,347 H & S under

Bronx County

MARK After-School Program $13,800 H & S under

Broome County

Whitney Point Preschool $14,999 H & S under

Cattaraugus County

Cattaraugus County Project Head Start $14,999 H & S under

Cortland County

Family Health Network of Central NY $103,686 Innovative

SUNY Cortland Childcare Center $133,600 Expansion (28 slots)

Delaware County

Delaware Opportunities $4,711 H & S under

Erie County

New Life Center $14,951 H & S under

Operation Hope-Helping Our People Excel $11,399 H & S under

Edukids $6,220 H & S under

Jefferson County

Benchmark Family Services $11,650 H & S under

Kings County

Yeled V’Yalda Early Childhood Center $43,950 H & S over

The Salvation Army-Brownsville GAINS $47,415 H & S over

Yeshivath Kehilath Yakov $175,500 Expansion (135 slots)

Lewis County

Benchmark Family Services $14,900 H & S under

Monroe County

Jack n Jill Childcare $12,511 H & S under

Care A Lot Child Care of North Greece $12,269 H & S under

Nassau County

Kids Quarters $15,000 H & S under

Onondaga County

James Square Child Care $14,282 H & S under

Orange County

The Salvation Army-Newburgh LIFE $19,668 H & S over

YMCA of Orange County $14,298 H & S under

Rensselaer County

Unity House of Troy $8,280 H & S under

Sunshine Day Nursery and Day Care Center $2,421 H & S under

Rockland County

Child Care Resources of Rockland $150,000 Innovative

Schenectady County

Schenectady Day Nursery $14,875 H & S under

Parsons Child and Family Center $12,477 H & S under

Schuyler County

Dundee Children’s Center $5,530 H & S under

Suffolk County

Brookhaven Horizons $14,190 H & S under

TTO $15,000 H & S under

Kiddle Academy of Greenlawn $14,999 H & S under

MMTD $15,000 H & S under

Kiddy Academy of Flowerfield $15,000 H & S under

Kiddie Academy of E. Setauket $15,000 H & S under

Tioga County

Abide in the Vine Childcare Center $14,968 H & S under

Tompkins County

Happy Way Childcare Center $3,581 H & S under

Ulster County

The Alphabet Tree Clubhouse $14,100 H & S under

Westchester County

Saint Peter’s Childcare Center $30,600 H & S over

Totals $1,061,758

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Posted Wednesday June 27, 2007 at 11:30 am by New York State Office of Children & Family Services