Westchester County Budget Proves to be a Wild Ride for Child Care Funding

There was mostly great news for child care on December 23, 2010, when the Board of Legislators voted to override County Executive Rob Astorino's earlier vetoes of child care subsidy funding.   The Board’s actions restored $3,530,000 for Low Income Subsidy and $895,000 for Title XX Subsidy.  The 12 to 5 vote was strictly along party lines with the Democratic majority continuing its support of child care financial assistance.   As a result, the parent co-pay will stay at 20%, instead of rising to 33% as proposed by the Astorino administration and the process will begin to lower the co-pay to 15%, which should be in place on/around March 1st.   Parents potentially eligible for Title XX should also apply to DSS. 

Brain Development Conference

Jennifer Rosinia, Ph.D. OTR/L of Kids Links Unlimited, Inc. and professor at the Erikson Institute, will present “Looking at Children with New Eyes,” the influence of sensory processing on behavior, development, and learning.
Thursday, January 27, 8:30-11:30am at Crowne Plaza in White Plains

2011 Tax Filing Season
Help Put More Money in the Hands of Working Families!

Please join the Early Care & Learning Council and The National Women’s Law Center in ensuring that eligible workers, who haven’t heard about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC), learn about them, get the facts and actually receive them.

CACFP Policy Changes

The Child Care Council of Westchester administers the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for family child care providers.  This fall, the Council was notified by the NYS Department of Health that multiple family child care homes were no longer going to be approved to participate in CACFP; eligibility would be limited to one site only.  This guidance, which they received from the federal government, was going to effect all new provider applications effective 8/23/10 and participating providers as of 12/31/10.   Recently, we were informed by the NYS Health Department that this change was not being implemented.

Your Membership in the Child Care Council of Westchester is Mutually Beneficial  

Your membership in the Child Care Council of Westchester benefits both you and your child care business, and supports the Council’s advocacy and education efforts that are essential to maintaining quality child care in Westchester County.

Child Care Council Board Welcomes New Members

The Child Care Council Board of Directors is delighted to announce that two new members have joined the Board of Directors of the Child Care Council of Westchester.

QUALITYstarsNY Field Test is Complete

New York State’s emerging quality rating and improvement system for child care programs is aptly called QUALITYstarsNY. The most recent phase of the program’s implementation was the completion of the field test by more than 200 programs, providers and school districts throughout the state.

Sexauer Foundation Grant Supports Early Learning Book Bag Program 

Thanks to a generous grant from the Sexauer Foundation, the Council is pleased to deliver the Early Learning Book Bag Program.  This early literacy project for family, group family and center based programs is intended to instill in young learners a life-long love of reading by increasing their exposure to books and related activities in their child care programs and at home with their parents. 

Staff Training and Born Learning Materials for Your Program

In partnership with United Way of Westchester and Putnam, the Council is promoting Born Learning, a public engagement campaign dedicated to helping parents and caregivers create early, fun learning opportunities for young children, to ensure school readiness and continued success throughout their lives.

Online registration for Council workshops and events is now live! 
Plus, you could win a prize . . .

We’ve been telling you about the new online registration system, and now you can try it out for yourself!  The new online registration system is called ABCSignup, and, just as the name implies, it’s quick and easy.

Have You Joined the Social Networking Revolution? 

Have you joined the social networking revolution?  The Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc. has, and now you can follow us on Twitter or “like” us on Facebook!

You’ll have immediate access to the latest advocacy news, professional development opportunities and so much more.  And, you can instantly tell us about your thoughts and concerns regarding the issues that impact the child care community in Westchester.

Save the Date!

The NYSAEYC Annual Conference is April 28 - April 30, 2011 at the Hilton Rye Town & Renaissance Westchester Hotel in Westchester County.  The preliminary program is available on their web site www.nysaeyc.org.

Winter Activities to Keep Children Moving

Cold winter weather often keeps us indoors, but we know that physical activity is essential for developing strong, healthy bodies.  But that’s not all.  Physical play also has many psychological, social and intellectual benefits.