Child care help available in county
Glenn County Supervisors made an early proclamation Tuesday on behalf of child care resources offered through the Glenn County Office of Education.
The board is calling April 20 "Child Care Resource and Referral Day" in the county while also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.
Glenn County is known for being a north state leader in child care referrals and training, according to a presentation by Joyce Rupp and Joie Owen of the office of education.
Their agency refers parents to child care providers throughout the county and offers training to both licensed and unlicensed child care staff on a variety of topics, Rupp said.
The number of licensed child care facilities in the county is below demand, she said, during a presentation to the supervisors.
There are only enough licensed slots open for 24 percent of the county's children ages 0-13 with working parents, Rupp said. There presently are 763 total licensed day care slots available in Glenn County, she added.
Those needing weekend and evening care find it difficult to get providers, she said.
However, the office of education works to train and support licensed-exempt providers, so they can improve their skills and it has a registry of non-licensed care givers as well, Rupp said.
Owen reviewed the training options her office has for parents, teachers and child care providers that focus on nutrition, children with special needs, educational options, health and safety and so on.
During the 2008-2009 school year, the Glenn County Child Care Resource and Referral office trained 41 licensed family child care providers and 109 non-licensed providers through 74 different training opportunities for a total of 210 hours, Owen said.
In addition, it also assists in the licensing process, gives out community resource information and provides assistance in paying for child care, the women said.
A lending library of children's toys and books is available as well that visits community centers.
The referral office also received 1900 requests in 2009 for other child care information such as child development, choosing a quality day care center, child abuse reporting, activities to do with children and so forth.
On April 20, it will host an open house from 4-7 p.m. at 518 Monterey St., Orland, offering information about the programs and services available. Call 865-1118.
Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com
