New Child Care Program shows businesses care
A new Child Care program called the Work-Life Alliance is hoping to bridge the enormous gap between need and affordability. The Alliance is a collaboration of representatives from government, businesses, child care facilities and individual communities and was formed to address these issues head on.
According to the California Child Care Portfolio statistics released a few months ago, in 2004 there were 21,492 children under the age of 13 in Humboldt County. Of those, there were 12,606 children with working parents. Child Care costs for one preschooler in a licensed facility takes up to 22 percent of a family budget with an annual income of $28,080. On top of affordability issues, parents and employers have to deal with limited availability.
Carole Crossley, Humboldt Child Care Council director of child care and development programs, said her organization subsidizes child care for 594 area families representing 902 children. Currently, there are 1,300 children on the waiting list. The good news Crossley said, is the program is looking to enroll some from the waiting list into their family child care network. The bad news? There are only 11 slots for infants within the entire program encompassing their 127 licensed facilities.
Read the full story. Program unites businesses and child care
According to the California Child Care Portfolio statistics released a few months ago, in 2004 there were 21,492 children under the age of 13 in Humboldt County. Of those, there were 12,606 children with working parents. Child Care costs for one preschooler in a licensed facility takes up to 22 percent of a family budget with an annual income of $28,080. On top of affordability issues, parents and employers have to deal with limited availability.
Carole Crossley, Humboldt Child Care Council director of child care and development programs, said her organization subsidizes child care for 594 area families representing 902 children. Currently, there are 1,300 children on the waiting list. The good news Crossley said, is the program is looking to enroll some from the waiting list into their family child care network. The bad news? There are only 11 slots for infants within the entire program encompassing their 127 licensed facilities.
Read the full story. Program unites businesses and child care
