Finding quality childcare can be a difficult challenge. Every parent wants to feel that their child is safe and well looked after when they are left with a childcare provider.
North Carolina has a strict set of rules, regulations, and guidelines that all child care providers must adhere to once they are licensed by the state.
When looking for a supplier, what qualities do you look for? This database, which can be accessed by going to this story on the Sun Journal website, newbernsj.com, and clicking on the link, will show how long a facility or center has been providing child care, what its capacity is, the number of people on staff and how many offenses it has had in the last five years. The data also includes other relevant information to help you choose a suitable provider for your child.
Look: Child Care Provider Database
Robyn Scott, child day care coordinator/subsidy program supervisor for Craven County’s Department of Social Services, said there are programs to help with the high cost of day care services.
“The Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program serves children ages 0-12,” Scott said. “Families must meet income and need requirements that are assessed individually for each family that wishes to apply. The parent’s fee for care is based on the number of family members and the gross family income.”
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The North Carolina Division of Child Development Early Education (NCDCD-EE) website is helpful when searching for a provider for your child. They are the regulatory resource for child care licensing for the state and help with relevant information needed to make an informed decision about choosing a daycare.
Locally, Craven Smart Start, a Child Care Resource & Referral Agency, is also an available information center for parents. Their services include, but are not limited to, consumer early childhood education and child care referrals to families, professional development support that includes coordinating and providing training on child care related topics and professional development counseling to support providers’ attainment of higher education levels, technical assistance to childcare providers and data collection and analysis.
According to their website, Craven Smart Start staff members use the data on the NCDCD-EE website to help increase and maintain star ratings for child care facilities in Craven County through technical assistance on curriculum and environments, pre and post mock environmental rating scale assessments and quality improvement plans .
Paula Jones, the owner of A Touch of Love Family Child Care Home in New Bern who recently retired after running the business since 2001, said Craven Smart Start has offered her a strong support system during her years as a provider .
“Smart Start was a pillow to rest my head on when things were stressful,” Jones said. “This was especially true when I went through the Environmental Rating Scale. Smart Start’s CCR&R staff gave me the knowledge and how to use it to be successful.”
After several years of operating her family childcare home, Jones was invited to become a member of Craven Smart Start’s Board of Directors.
“I sat on the board, I served and felt comfortable,” Jones said. “I was treated like I was an executive and not a babysitter. It was fun!”
North Carolina began its star rating licensing system in 2000. This allows child care programs to be recognized for higher quality care. Child care costs and fees are often based on the star rating of the facility or center, although each provider sets their own fees that typically range between $160 and $180 for an infant, with costs decreasing for older children.
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Subsidies can only be provided for state-licensed childcare centers or homes.
If you would like to speak directly with a parent referral specialist at Craven Smart Start, call Bianca Salinas at 252-672-5921.
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