A
Faith-Based Child Care
Capacity Building Project
 Let
the little Children come...Matthew 19:14
The Vision
Family
access to a safe, nurturing place where all children can learn--and
grow.
Building
on the strong commitment of congregations to the care and
early childhood development of children, the California Council
of Churches in partnership with Catholic Charities of California
embarked on a project in 1999 to support efforts to increase
the quality and capacity of child care services within the
religious community in low-income areas where the need is
greatest. This project was made possible through generous
grants from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation and The
California Endowment.
In August
of 2002, the Council of Churches began Phase 2 of this Project
for an additional year with continued funding from the David
and Lucile Packard Foundation and continued local support
from the First 5 of Fresno County. For additional information,
read our April
2003 newsletter(PDF)* and fill out the enclosed survey.
Over
the last five years, the California Council of Churches has
worked with the faith-based child care and development community
to increase the supply of quality child care for working families,
especially those living in high need areas of our state. During
that time, we have been able to raise the level of awareness
of both the private and public sectors regarding the important
role the faith community plays in the delivery of these services.
At least 1 in 5 licensed centers in California is either run
by or house in a congregation!
Over the last several years, an emphasis on the importance
of early childhood development has been growing around the
country and is now at a critical stage of policy development
in California. The concept of a publicly funded, voluntary
preschool for all four year olds is being seriously discussed
as a public good, helping parents work and preparing children
to enter school ready to learn.
As part of the Packard Foundation’s continued support
of our outreach to faith-based and related centers, the California
Council of Churches is currently conducting surveys regarding
Universal Preschool in California.
Complete
our online forms!!!
Childcare
director survey
Congregational leader survey
The
Challenge
California
communities are facing an extreme shortage in preschool spaces
and qualified teachers to serve all the children of families
whose income qualifies them for assistance with their child
care costs.
More than
280,000 children are on waiting lists for subsidized care.
As parents move from welfare to work that number will grow.
An
Opportunity
Here are
some ways congregations can help meet the child care and development
needs of low-income working families in their communities:
-
Support
family child care home providers in your neighborhood
by sharing your playground or a space for child development
classes. Offer to care for their children while they
attend classes.
-
Provide
drop-in care for mildly ill children, emergencies or
caregiver vacations.
-
Transport
children to an after-school program site.
-
Start
a before school or an after-school program.
-
Start
a preschool or expand an existing one.
- Use
your gift of citizenship to speak on behalf of children.
For More Information
California Council of Churches
2715 K Street, Suite D
Sacramento, CA 95816
Tel:/ Fax: 916-442-5447 / 916-442-3036
E-mail: cccinfo@calchurches.org
Resources
* Some of the files on this page are PDF documents. An
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view them. If you do not
have a Reader, you can download
the program for free from Adobe.
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