Resources for Parents

• How to find good quality child care

• Resources to help you choose quality child care

• Finding help to pay for child care

• Information about tribal child care resources

• Finding your local Head Start program and checking to see if you qualify for services

• Health and safety regulations for child care programs in your State

• Reporting child abuse and neglect

Child Care Aware can help you locate quality child care and child care resources in your community. Visit their web site at http://www.childcareaware.org or call 1-800-424-2246 to locate an organization that can assist you to find child care in your community.

Back to Top

Child Care Aware publications contain useful information that can help you choose a quality child care program. These publications are available through the internet at http://childcareaware.org/en/tools/pubs/. Topics include:

• Choosing quality child care
• Child care for infants and toddlers
• School-age child care
• Choosing quality child care for children with special needs
• Relatives caring for children while you work or go to school

Back to Top

Child care assistance is available to eligible families through State agencies that administer Federal Child Care and Development grants. Each State determines eligibility requirements for families within its State. A list of State agencies can be found on the National Child Care Information Center web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/Statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=ccdf. Contact the agency in your State directly for your eligibility information and how to apply for assistance. In some States, families can apply by telephone or mail. In many communities there also are child care resource and referral agencies that can provide information about how to apply for child care assistance. A list of child care resource and referral agencies is available from Child Care Aware. Visit their web site at http://www.childcareaware.org or call 1-800-424-2246 to locate an agency near you.

Families are able to select from a variety of authorized providers, including those sponsored by faith-based organizations that may engage in religious activities as part of the daily services they provide.

Back to Top

Many Tribes have child care programs. To learn more about how to locate the Tribal child care program nearest you or to apply for assistance to help you pay for child care, contact the Tribal Child Care Grantee directly. To locate a list of Tribal Child Care Grantees, visit the following web site http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/tribal/grantees.html.

Back to Top

Contact the Head Start or Early Head Start agency serving your community. Your local Head Start agency will provide the required forms and answer questions about the program. The local agency will also help you find the Head Start Center closest to your home. To find a local Head Start or Early Head Start program to contact in your area, use the on-line national Head Start Program Search Tool at:
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/HeadStartOffices. Use the Search Tool to browse through the list of Head Start programs in your State. Then contact the listed programs closest to your community, even if they are some distance away. These are the main program offices which can tell you if there is a Head Start center closer to your area. Many of the organizations found in the Search Tool operate additional Head Start centers that are not listed, so there may be a program closer to your home than it appears.

If you need more help to find a Head Start or Early Head Start program in your area, call the Head Start Information and Publication Center toll-free at: 1-866-763-6481.

Back to Top

The National Resource Center for Health and Safety promotes health and safety in out-of-home child care settings throughout the nation. Visit their web site at http://nrc.uchsc.edu to learn more about your State's health and safety requirements for child care.

Back to Top