The YWCA CCR&R and COVID-19

At this time of uncertainty the YWCA Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R)could not be more proud of the creativity and resilience shown by our staff, the child care providers that we work with, and the families that we serve. Our offices may be closed to the public, and our staff may be working remotely, but we have continued to deliver support and assistance by offering the same variety of quality services that we always have, albeit a little differently.

We have mobilized our website and social media channels to share the latest updates, along with tips and ideas for learning from home and talking to children about the current situation. We have worked to create an information hub so that everything our providers and families might need, from an application for a temporary pandemic child care license, to a list of local feeding stations, to tips from working from home with children, are right at their fingertips.

Serving Child Care Providers

Our specialists have reached out to the 700 providers served by the YWCA to offer support, share resources, and answer questions. We have worked with providers to implement policies and procedures that protect the health and well-being of their staff and the children they serve, while still striving to provide the highest quality of care. We have continued to support providers in completing Step Up to Quality applications, annual reports, and renewals through virtual technical assistance, illustrating to the communities we serve that even in a time of crisis, high quality child care is not only essential, it is a priority.

Our specialists have ensured that child care providers have the latest information as quickly as possible.  The YWCA CCR&R has communicated updated licensing rules and procedures from ODJFS and  shared opportunities to hear the latest information from child advocacy groups first hand. We have listened  and  offered support as providers struggle with the difficult decision to close their program or to serve as temporary pandemic child care programs, and we have reminded them of the significance of both options.

Serving Families

The YWCA CCR&R has always been a valued resource for families, and this has not

changed. Our specialists have also been available to assist families who are looking for child care and we are now focused on matching essential personnel with temporary pandemic child care programs. This will ensure that these personnel are able to continue their crucial work while knowing that their children are safe and healthy.

YWCA outreach parent specialists have been maintaining live home visiting sessions through virtual video chats. They are continuing to conduct needs assessments with families and community partners, and are assisting parents with work form home strategies and home schooling ideas.

Serving Community Partners

We have been able to provide assistance to a number of our community partners throughout this experience and we will continue to support them in any way that we can. Some examples of this include;

• Providing information about temporary pandemic child care programs to the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Opening our office in order to fingerprint employees for temporary pandemic child care programs
• Sharing resources with the University of Toledo Student Affairs Advisory board to support student parents who are now homeschooling their own children.

Our community partners know that they can count on us for any and all resources related to early childhood education, child care programming, and child development.

We are grateful for the opportunity to offer our assistance through this challenging time. We are doing our very best to stay healthy so that we can continue to support child care programs, families, and community partners in Northwest Ohio, and we want everyone to know that we will get through this together. When we focus on our children, we focus on our future.

To get the latest information on pandemic resources, or to contact our staff for assistance, please go to: ywcccrrevents.org

 

Sincerely,

Suzanne Gall

Director

YWCA Child Care

Resource & Referral