Kids by the Bay Financial District (FiDi) in San Francisco participated in a naturalization ceremony as part of World Refugee Day. The center is co-located with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office, who asked the children participate in the ceremony by presenting flags. At the end of the ceremony, the children walked down the aisle waving flags celebrating with the new citizens.
 Are you prepared? This is a question we should all be asking ourselves with the recent natural disasters that have devastated many areas in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. September is National Preparedness month and what better time than now to focus on emergency preparedness and ensuring staff and children in your care are well-prepared for any emergency.
Child Care Aware of America reported 4,400 child care programs in Texas were impacted by Hurricane Harvey and over 23,300 child care programs in Florida by Hurricane Irma. And now more record-breaking hurricanes have devastated Puerto Rico. Our thoughts and support are with the individuals, families, and child care providers affected by these disasters. Recovery and rebuilding after such destruction will be a long, hard effort. For help with special considerations to take when returning home or to school, Child Care Aware provides guidance on flood clean-up: http://usa.childcareaware.org/advocacy-public-policy/crisis-and-disaster-resources/caregiver-and-ccrr-tools-publications-and-resources/flooding/ Child Care Aware also offers a series of post-disaster webinars. Register for these FREE webinars, which will also be recorded and made available after the live delivery, at: REGISTER
For resources on how to protect belongings and recover from a flood, plus more emergency planning topics and guides, visit Child Care Aware of America’s Emergency Preparedness Website:
http://usa.childcareaware.org/advocacy-public-policy/crisis-and-disaster-resources/caregiver-and-ccrr-tools-publications-and-resources
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One important performance measure for GSA child care centers is UTILIZATION. GSA measures and tracks overall utilization (% of spaces filled) and Federal utilization (% of Federal usage in the center). It is important for Boards to be aware of their child care program’s performance status and trends. If a center is consistently underutilized, boards should understand why and address any barriers before it becomes a bigger issue. What can be done if a center is underutilized? Marketing, marketing, and more marketing!
Marketing the program is not just a Provider responsibility. It is a joint responsibility of the Provider, Board, and sponsoring Federal agencies. All parties have a vested interest in keeping the center fully enrolled and serving (mostly) Federal families. Consider how your board can share information and host activities to bring awareness to Federal employees that high-quality, work-site child care is available.
A few examples of how to market your program include:
- Working with HR departments from the Federal agencies in your neighborhood. Provide them with center brochures for their employees, including packets for new employee orientation. Share news snippets and articles about center events for newsletters or bulletin boards. With agency permission, host a children’s art show or book fair in the building.
- Encourage agencies to include the child care program in CFC events, or provide space for “Lunch and Learns” on various child development topics, run by the provider for all parents in the agency. You could help get permission for the children to parade in costume through the Federal building on Halloween or host a “party parade” to celebrate the center’s anniversary.
- Co-sponsor an Open House to highlight the center’s program and sponsor an incentive awards program for all prospective parent referrals.
Keep in mind the best advertisement for any program is word of mouth. So help spread the word and make sure everyone knows what a fantastic, quality child care program you have!
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