With a busy and hectic lifestyle, parents must often depend on day care providers to watch over their children. They entrust their day care provider to be fully qualified and licensed, but are they?

Before you make any final decisions about who to entrust your child to in your absence, you may want to look further for information that is available. “Parents deserve the right to know that the day care provider they select has a good safety record and complies with New York State law,” stated Senator Kemp Hannon (6th Senate District). “Parents who have to work need to know that their loved ones are safe and in capable hands,” Hannon continued.

By using the New York Office of Children and Family Services online database you can research the day care facilities in your area and choose the best provider that suits your family’s needs. Visit online http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us where you can obtain valuable information about your nearest day care provider.

You can search day care centers by the name, location or license number to lessen the burden of locating a day care provider. You can also retrieve information about:

• How long the day care provider has been licensed

• The last time the day care provider facility was inspected

• Any serious violations at the day care facility within the past two years

• Whether enforcement action has been taken against the facility

• Whether the facility is allowed to administer medication

• The number of children the facility serves

There are also many families struggling to balance work and child care. They may find themselves eligible for financial assistance if they meet the state’s low income guidelines. This is beneficial especially for those looking for work or attending employment training. If you are on Temporary Assistance and need child care in order to meet any work participation requirements you are guaranteed child care. For one year after leaving Temporary Assistance, if you left Temporary Assistance for a job and need child care to go to work, you are also guaranteed assistance in paying for child care.

The Nassau County Department of Social Services determines family eligibility based on income, reasons for needing day care, and your child’s age and individual needs. In many cases, families receiving a child care subsidy can choose any legal child care provider. Contact the Department of Social Services at (516) 227-8519 if you are interested in finding out if you are eligible for a child care subsidy, or if you would like to apply for a subsidy for your child. If you want general information about child care subsidies and or information about day care in Nassau County please contact the:

Child Care Council

of Nassau, Inc.

Ms. Jan Barbieri

925 Hempstead Turnpike,

Suite 400

Franklin Square, NY 11010

Phone: (516) 358- 9250 ext 11

Fax: (516) 358-9287

Email: JBarbieri@childcare

nassau.org

Website:

www.childcarenassau.org

The Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc. helps parents recognize programs that demonstrate quality above and beyond meeting New York’s strong regulatory standards whether you seek center-based or family-based programs.

You may also contact the community office of Senator Kemp Hannon at (516) 739-1700 for additional informational booklets on related topics or visit www.kemphannon.com for more information.