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Looking for Child Care? >Find Child Care
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Child
Care Referrals
Need Child Care? YMCA Childcare Resource Service
is here to help!
Need Child Care? YMCA Childcare Resource Service is
here to help!
The Resource & Referral Program at CRS receives more than 35,000
calls from parents each year who are looking for child care for infants,
preschool and school age children. When you call our Parent Referral
Line at 1.800.481.2151 or 619.521.3070, a friendly and knowledgeable
Child Care Consultant will assist you. Our lines are open Monday - Thursday
8 am to 4 pm and Friday 8 am to 12 noon, but you can leave a message
24 hours a day and we will return your call during the next business
day.
Our Child Care Consultants will work with you to find the child care
referrals to programs in San Diego County. The Consultant will also give
you information on the different types of child care programs and answer
your questions about what to look for and how to select a quality child
care program. He/she can also help you apply for assistance paying for
child care. We us a specially designed computer program to match existing
provider services with your child care needs.
Before you call
- Decide where you would like child care.
Near your home?
Near your work?
Near your child’s school?
- Do you need full time (30+ hours) or
part time(less than 30 hours) care?
- Do you need any special services
such as transportation to school or evening
hours?
- What days and hours do you need care - weekdays and/or weekends?
- Does
your child have any special needs?
- What is the name of the closest
public elementary school where care is needed (if you have a school-age
child)?
- Be sure to have paper and pen/pencil ready to write down referral
names, phone numbers and license numbers.
- Schedule uninterrupted
time for a quality referral call.
During your initial referral call
The Child Care Consultant will introduce him/herself and ask
for the spelling of your first and last name. This will
enable the Consultant
to check if
there is an existing file. If there is not a file, the Consultant
will begin one.
During the referral process, your Child Care Consultant
will ask for information on the birth date of children
who need
care, type
of care,
and special
services you are looking for. If you need help paying for
your child care let the
consultant know at the beginning of the call. He/she can
help you apply for San Diego County's
Centralized Childcare Eligibility List. Your answers are
kept confidential.
Your child care referrals
After all your information is typed into the computer,
the program sorts out child care centers or licensed
family child care homes
which have
indicated they
provide the care and services you are requesting such
as -
1. Age of child
2. Full or part time care
3. Weekdays, weekends, holidays
4. Year round, off-track, summer only, 12-month
care
5. Drop-in, evening or overnight care
6. Variable schedules/shifts
7. Elementary school area
8. Transportation (school age only)
9. Special Needs experience, training or education
We can also provide you with In-home agencies
such as nannies. In addition, during the summer
we have
listing of both day
and overnight
camps.
The Consultant will give you 3-5 referral names,
telephone numbers and license number to write
down. The last
names will be spelled
for you.
It is important
to have the correct spelling of a provider or
program name in order to check their file with the licensing
agency
- Community Care
Licensing at 619.767.2200.
Additional resources
Your Child Care Consultant will automatically
mail you a free Parent Resource Packet if
this is the
first time
you
have looked
for child
care. However,
you may request a packet sent to you even
if you have used child care before. The
packet has several Choosing Child Care brochures
and includes a checklist to use when visiting
potential programs. A
reminder notice
to call
Community Care
Licensing at 619.767.2200 to check a provider's
history of complaints or violations is also
included. The
Consultant
can also refer
you to parenting
classes in your
area and tell you about the parenting materials
we have available
in our Resource Library.
More referrals or assistance
You may call back as often as you like for
more referrals. Just call 1.800.481.2151
or 619.521.3070
and give
your name or phone
number
or client file number.
The next group of referrals on your list
will come up automatically and be read
to you. We can change the area of your search
at any time and answer any question you
may have
about
your child
care search.
Please
do not hesitate
to call
back if you visit a program and have
questions or concerns about what you saw or heard.
Our goal is to assist parents in becoming
good consumers of child care. We want
to help you
find the best
care possible that meets
your child
and family
needs.
When you invest time and thought in
your search, you can find
a child care provider who provides
a secure, safe and nurturing environment
for your
child.
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