Can help parents locate child care that meets their individual needs. Provides information regarding licensed day care centers, licensed group family day care homes, registered family child care, and registered school-age child care programs. Information available includes the location of the provider, days and hours of operation, phone number, and the type of child care program. Can supply information on becoming a registered or licensed family child care provider. Technical assistance, support, and training is available to help in the operation of child care programs. Health and safety items are available to assist in starting a family child care business and also available to existing registered family and licensed group family child care providers. Training necessary to maintain child care registration or license is offered. Registrar of all family child care and school-age child care programs in Niagara County.

The Permanency Planning Unit certifies individuals, couples, and families who are interested in providing a temporary foster home, adoptive home, or both to children in need. Participants in the program are afforded the opportunity to learn about the many aspects of foster and/or adoptive care and to have a certified adoption home study completed at no cost.

Provides a PINS diversion program. AFY is a 30-45 day home based crisis intervention for youth that display a pattern of incorrigible behavior(Defiance in the home, disobeying curfew, aggressive behaviors, truancy/failing school and mental health issues). Case Managers will do an assessment of family needs and links them with community resources to get the family out of crisis. In addition, after the 30-45 days are completed. a Phase 2 of the program is implemented to link the families with partnership agencies for typically 3-6 months, but can be up to a year to ensure the ensure the family's needs are met and they remain stabilized. AFY also provides parent support workshops, adolescent male and female workshops as well as peer mentoring services.

Provides assistance to foster parents and information for perspective foster parents.

Coordinates with adults, ages 21 years and older, including family members, who are willing to provide foster care to dependent children who've been removed from their homes and need alternative family arrangement.

Also, assists children or adults with developmental disabilities, sensory impairments, physical disabilities, emotional problems or multiple disabilities who are unable to live with their birth families or in an independent setting.

Assesses the needs and capabilities of children who have been relinquished for adoption, compiles the children's social and medical histories, makes arrangements for care and supervision of the children prior to placement, evaluates prospective adoptive applicants including a review of adoptive home studies, if available, and selects and approves prospective adoptive homes. Also identifies and enlists individuals and couples who are willing to provide permanent homes and new legal parentage for children who have been relinquished for adoption, particularly for children who have special needs. Responsible for training, certifying, and monitoring placements in family homes and for providing support for the family and the adopted individual(s) who live with them. Links individuals who are in need of alternative living arrangements with appropriate private family homes that are licensed to provide foster care. Identifies and enlists people who are willing to provide foster care for dependent children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment and need an alternative family living arrangement, or for children and adults with developmental disabilities, sensory impairments, physical disabilities, emotional problems, or multiple disabilities who are unable to live with their birth families or in an independent setting.

Assists parents with child care referrals and options paying for child care. Assists child care providers with technical assistance and training for all modalities of child care. Offers start up grants for in-home registered or licensed programs. Provides reimbursement to child care providers for serving healthy/approved meals and snacks through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Provides application assistance for Legally Exempt providers, including health and safety grants.

Recruits, trains, and supports foster parents including those providing therapeutic foster care in kinship homes, traditional two parent homes, single parent homes, same-sex couple homes, and racially diverse homes. Services include the following: - Offers emergency support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. - Offers monitored visitation with birth family. - Offers Licensed Social Worker and Mental Health professionals as well as case managers. - Offers support groups and training to Foster Parents as well as respite (babysitting) if needed and assistance in all areas of care. - Provides psychiatric services when needed. - Practices and trains in trauma informed and trauma sensitive environments and approaches.

Provides services focused on permanency for children through reunification or adoption, and advocates for each child's needs. Serves children of all backgrounds and ages, providing care from infancy through age 21. Every effort is made to place each child or group of siblings with the most appropriate foster family based on their family dynamics and unique strengths. Works throughout communities large and small to develop a diverse team of qualified foster parents. Foster care home-finding staff consists of current and/or former foster parents who recruit, train, and assist families in navigating the pre-certification process. In addition to a home-finder staff liaison, each family is provided with a caseworker who is available for ongoing support 24 hours a day. Through regular communication and quarterly home visits post-certification, staff offer guidance and resources necessary for success. Foster parents are provided a variety of training including Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and Solution Focused Trauma Informed Care, not only during their certification process, but throughout their time as foster parents with Gateway Longview. Therapeutic foster care services provide a family environment with intensive support services to children and youth when it is assessed that the birth family and/or other service programs cannot provide the individual care required to meet the child's needs. All services are coordinated pursuant to the earliest return of the child to its birth family.

Familyâs Child Care Connections serving Columbia, Greene and Ulster Counties is a child care resource and referral agency, working to increase the supply of quality child care and assists parents in their child care search by referring them to legal child care providers. Other services include: identifying sources of financial aid, training and technical assistance to early care and learning programs, etc.

Provides free child care resource and referrals to parents or guardians who need child care, an overview of available options, consumer education, information on financial assistance, and resource development and recruitment. Families in need of child care can access Council's services by telephone, through the internet at Council's website, email, mail and fax or in person for child care options that best meet the family needs. Low income parents are given information about eligibility for child care subsidy through the Nassau County Department of Social Services (NC DSS) as well as information from the continuously updated child care provider database regarding sliding scales, scholarships and multi-child discounts at various child care facilities. Each parent that calls the Council is offered information on Early Intervention services and/or the Early Childhood Direction Center for children with special needs, current financial information including Earned Income Tax Credits, Child and Dependent Care Credits, and Child Health Plus as well as referrals to assist them re: many other issues concerning the family (ex. legal, domestic violence, mental health, child abuse, etc.).

Maintains foster care placement and foster homes. Also recruits, trains, and certifies foster parents.

Provides a range of resources to help parents with their child care needs, people who want to start or are currently running child care programs, and anyone with a concern about the health or safety of a child in a day care program.

Offers information and referral services, education on epilepsy, developmental disabilities and on traumatic brain injury. Case management; Medicaid service coordination; Health Homes; Family support services; Structured day and evening programs; Support groups, counseling; Employment/vocational counseling ;Community habilitation; Residential services; and Camp EAGR - Residential summer camp for children with epilepsy.

Provides child care referrals, child care subsidies, provider training and career counseling, administers child and adult care food program, registrar for family day care and school age programs, enrollment of legally exempt child care providers, and technical assistance to employers regarding child care services.

Develops and offers professional development (training, coaching, and technical assistance) consistent with the New York State Core Body of Knowledge Core Competencies for all modalities of child care (Family, Group Family, Center and School Age). Council offers the New York State Office of Children & Family Services (NYS OCFS) mandated 15 hour Foundations in Health & Safety Training required for registration of licensing of new Family/Group Family providers; recruitment and business practices workshops; technical assistance for potential and new providers of all modalities, Medication Administration Training (MAT) required for those that administer medication to children in their program and The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential for early childhood education professionals.New York State Training and Technical Assistance Professional Credentialed specialists are available with expertise in infants and toddlers, preschool and elementary/middle school development, care and education. Council staff provide interactive in-person professional development at Council as well as at your location (through fee for service) as requested by programs and community agencies. Topics for training, coaching, and/or technical assistance include but are not limited tio all NYS OCFS required topics for the 30 hours of mandated training; child growth and development; responding to challenging behaviors; family and community relationships; culturally responsive practice; observation and assessment; environment and curriculum; health. safety and nutrition; coping with tragedy, trauma and disasters; professionalism and leadership; administration and management; NYS OCFS regulations; national accreditation self-studies; and professional development planning. Bilingual (English/Spanish) services are available.

Recruitment and training for child care providers. Can send nurse to train in NYS Medication Administration Laws. Nurse can provide training and assist child care programs with developing their health care plans and health related issues. Program called Quality Child Care Campaign, thru the County CCRR oversees program assisting providers and programs in improving quality at their site and to become nationally accredited.

Units recruit, train, study, approve/certify, develop, retain, and re-approve/re-certify foster and adoptive families. To inquire about becoming a foster and/or adoptive parent, please call 516–227-7613. Call Foster and Adoptive Resource Development at 516-227-8291 and Homefinding at 516-227-8284 for more detailed information.

Helps parents find day care providers by name, type of facility, county or zip code online or by phone. Also helps parents who have complaints about a child care facility.

Provides case management services to assist families in staying together when a child is at risk of entering foster care and/or to hasten the return home of children in foster care. May include referrals for supportive services such as child care assistance (income guidelines may apply).

Continually seeking mature and community conscious adults to become foster or adoptive resources for the children at Graham-Windham, and can provide a safe and stable home life with good care and relationships and enriching activities and good schooling.

Child Care Council provides childcare referrals within Orange County.

Child care is provided not only to those on Temporary Assistance, but also to those working families who meet income guidelines for subsidies. Various kinds of child care are available throughout Nassau County. To obtain more information call the Day Care New Applications Unit. To obtain childcare resource and referral information or a list of day care providers, please contact the Child Care Council of Nassau County. They can be reached at 516-358-9250 or email at [email protected]. Call for detailed information.