Celebrate #GivingTuesday by donating to 4-C.

Voter Information

Don’t forget to vote! Not sure where to go? Enter your address below to find your polling location.

“The best teachers are those who…”

Help for Parents entering the JCPS school system

Entering kindergarten can be stressful for the whole family. Here is information for families on registering for kindergarten  and also the 2013-14 JCPS Elementary School Clusters. While this won’t take care of the first day jitters for kids(or parents), knowledge is power and we want everyone to have a powerful start in “big school”.

 
Susan A. Vessels
Executive Director
Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C)

Presidential Bingo!

What a concept.

We all know we should watch the Presidential debates that start Wed. 10/3 but, if you’re like me, sometimes your mind wanders. Well the folks at www.momsrising.org have created a way to get informed and have a little fun at the same time. Just go to the link below and they will send you your Presidential Bingo card.
 

Join the Game.

http://action.momsrising.org/signup/BINGO-2012/?rd=1&t=4&referring_akid=3526.35490.VWMtnJ

Susan A. Vessels

National NDD Community Call-in and Tweet Day

The federal government supports many programs that benefit all Americans, including child care, Head Start and Early Head Start, Title I, after school programs.

 Ask your member of Congress to support a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to child care, Head Start and Early Head Start.

 For child care specifically, these cuts will mean a loss of 80,000 children and for Head Start a loss of 100,000 children.

 Call, Tweet, or Facebook your Members of Congress TODAY to let them know that programs, including child care and Early Head Start, have already done their part to help reduce the deficit – it’s now time for a balanced approach!

 Click here to find the phone numbers for your members of Congress. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asked to be connected to your Members’ offices.

For a complete list of Members of Congress and their Twitter handles, as well as other social media accounts, please see these House & Senate lists

What’s Going On?

Why isn’t 4-C administering the CCAP program anymore?

Apparently the state Division of Child Care has abandoned the local one-stop-shop community service delivery model and is more interested in centralizing services, so they gave the CCAP contract for the entire state to one agency located in Lexington.

Who is Child Care Aware?

In the KIPDA region there will be 2 Child Care Aware staff who will come from one of our sister organization (also referred to as 4C). They are from the Northern Kentucky area, close to Cincinnati. They will be offering technical assistance to a portion of child care providers, yet to be determined.

What is 4-C doing now that we no longer administer the CCAP program?

We’re doing everything we did before except the CCAP subsidy program.  That includes:

• Training child care providers
• Helping parents find child care
• Maintaining the most accurate and current child care database
• Sponsoring the CACFP food program for family child care providers
• Providing on-site early intervention service for children with developmental issues
• Developing tools for child care providers saving them time and $$
• Advocating for families and child care providers on a local, state, and national level

Is 4-C Doing Anything New?

We are implementing quite a few new activities:

• Forming a child care provider advisory group
• Working with JCPS and providers to encourage parent engagement
• Collaborating to find resources to help children who live in violence
• Working with a group looking at grandparents who are raising grandchildren
• Developing specific on-line tools to help directors manage programs
• Advocating for an increase in provider reimbursement rates
• Exploring the possibility of sponsoring centers on the CACFP food program
• Disseminating white papers to legislators and community leaders about the importance of child care

4-C remains the central point of contact for community child care needs. 

Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C)

502-636-1358

www.4cforkids.org

www.facebook.com/4CVOICE

Back to School Safety Tips

Here are some simple reminders for drivers:

• Slow down and be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully
• Watch for children on and near the road in the morning and after school hours
• Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
• Put down your phone and don’t talk or text while driving

Reminder for your kids:

• They should cross the street with an adult until they are at least 10 years old
• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks
• Never run out into the streets or cross in between parked cars
• Make sure they always walk in front of the bus where the driver can see them

What do you think should be the highest priorities for the Kentucky legislature when it comes to supporting families and children?

Weigh in by completing the survey on the 2012 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children.

Click Here to Complete the Survey

“We’ve got a lot of good child care programs in this community. Parents don’t have to use the rotten ones that get all the attention on the nightly news.”

That’s the sound bite I always say during media interviews but it never seems to make it on to the airwaves. Recently 4-C has been talking with media about some of the “bad actors” in our local child care community. We all know they are out there. They are the ones who seem to have no interest in what’s best for kids or families. They are the ones who bring down the public opinion of child care. And yet, somehow, they continue to operate, either openly or under ground. Maybe it’s time those of us in the child care world take action to highlight the bad apples that are holding the child care system hostage. I am convinced we will never be able to make substantial progress to raising the quality across our system until we quit protecting those who are in the business for all the wrong reasons.

Susan A. Vessels
Executive Director
Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C)