Child Care and After-School Programming

The Child Care and After-School Programming Work Group was launched in April 2004 to:
  1. Determine ways to expand the current capacity of child care and after- school programs available to families, including exploration of federal, state and foundation funding opportunities.
  2. Establish training programs to improve the quality of child care and respite services available to families, particularly for children with special needs.
Quality child care and after-school programming is an essential need for most Washington County families. 73% of the area's children have all parents in the workforce. Child care and After-School Programming for children with special needs is especially challenging. Meeting this challenge is the initial focus of the work group. Before capacity can be expanded, multiple training issues, for both child care providers and parents, need to be addressed. Work group initiatives include:
  • Providing on-site consultation and regional training to child care and after-school providers for children with challenges behaviors and mental health needs
  • Partnering with Prevent Child Abuse RI to implement the Strengthening Families RI initiative in Washington County. (Strengthening Families RI helps child care providers partner with parents to build "protective factors" so that children and families thrive)
  • Recruiting Foster Grandparent volunteers for area child care settings
For further information contact:
Andrea Martin, Child Care Support Network, almartin@cox.net
or Susan Orban, WCCC Coordinator, 788-2061 or wccc@washcokids.org.