Where Can I Go to Get Review on Child Care Centers in North Carolina

Find Child Intendance

Choosing the best programme for your child can exist a difficult decision—there are and then many things to consider. Child Care Referral Cardinal (CCRC) tin help make your conclusion easier. See a list of N.C. counties served, accept a look at our referral policies, know the difference between regulated and unregulated care or review the steps to finding child care.

How it Works

When you phone call CCRC, a child care referral specialist will provide: information about the types of kid intendance in your community, the features of quality child care, and referrals to child intendance programs that tin can run across your needs and the needs of your kid. Using the manufacture-standard software called WorkLife Systems, your specialist will enter information about what you're looking for and conduct a custom search for you lot. Together, you volition discuss matches to child care programs that fit your unique needs. Some families may be eligible for Enhanced Referrals, which offers additional support services.

Find Child Care Now

CCRC offers three, gratis and convenient ways to obtain referrals to child intendance programs in your area:

Search online through Child Care Referral Primal'southward Online Referral organisation, available 24-7.

Phone call u.s. toll-free at 855-Early-ED (855-327-5933) to speak with a child intendance referral counselor. Spanish-speaking counselors are available!

Webinar: Choosing and Using Quality Child Care

Interested in learning more virtually child care? Lookout man our webinar! During the session you volition learn about:

What steps to take during your kid care search
North Carolina licensing regulations for kid care programs
What quality child intendance looks like
Different fiscal aid resources for help paying for child intendance
How to access other community resources that are available to back up your family
How Child Care Services Association can help y'all during your child care search

This webinar is brought to you through the financial support of Enterprise Hire-a-Car.

Due north.C. Counties Served by CCRC

CCRC refers only tolegally operating, licensed child care programs and programs/camps for school-age children and has data on high-quality programs inAlamance, Caswell, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Orange, Person, Vance and Wake counties.

Services supported by the North Carolina Sectionalisation of Kid Development and Early Education.

Additional back up for services in the Triangle provided past Durham County Authorities, Durham's Partnership for Children – a Smart Kickoff Initiative, Wake County Smart Start, the Town of Cary, United Way of the Greater Triangle and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Options and Regulations

Choosing child care takes time, knowledge, and try to find the program or caregiver that is correct for y'all and your child. In that location are many options for child care and early on educational activity available in North Carolina. Some are regulated by the state and some are non. Below are definitions of the different child care and early education options available.

Regulated Kid Intendance

Due north Carolina constabulary defines kid care as:

three or more than unrelated children under age 13
receiving care from a non-relative
on a regular basis, of at to the lowest degree once a week
for more than than four hours per day but less than 24 hours.

Types of Regulated Kid Care

Family Child Intendance Homes
A family unit kid care domicile is licensed to care for five or fewer preschool-age children, including preschoolers living in that home. In add-on, three schoolhouse-age children may be enrolled. The provider's ain schoolhouse-age children are not counted for the purposes of licensure. A family child care home with a ane-star rated license has met minimal health and safety standards. A family child care home may earn a two-5 star rated license by voluntarily meeting higher standards. You lot may want to review the rated license rules for specific details.
NAFCC Accredited Homes
Family unit child care homes and small centers that are located in homes that voluntarily run across additional quality care standards may be eligible to receive accreditation by the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC). After a provider completes a thorough cocky-assessment of her/his programme, the domicile is visited by a trained validator to assess whether the program meets NAFCC standards. Areas for cess include environment, activities, and developmental learning goals, to name a few. Annual updates are required and re-application must be made every three years.
Licensed Child Care Centers
Licensing as a center is required when 6 or more preschool children are cared for in a habitation, or when iii or more children are cared for in a building other than a home. A kid care center with a one-star rated license has met minimal health and safety standards. A child care heart may earn a 2-5 star rated license by voluntarily meeting higher standards. Religious-sponsored programs are exempt from some of the regulations if they choose not to be licensed, but many take been licensed on a voluntary footing. Y'all may want to review the rated license rules for specific details.
NAEYC Accredited Centers
Kid care centers that voluntarily come across additional quality care standards are eligible to receive accreditation by the National Clan for the Education of Young Children. Part-day preschools may also become NAEYC accredited. This process requires a thorough middle-wide cocky-written report process involving parents and staff. Accredited programs tend to offer more educated staff, better ratios, smaller group sizes, more developmentally appropriate materials and greater parent involvement. The center is visited by a trained validator to assess whether the plan meets the standards. Re-application for accreditation must be made every iii years.
Centers and Homes with a Discover of Compliance (also known as "church exempt")
Religious-sponsored centers and homes that cull not to be licensed must nevertheless run into minimum child intendance regulations and must also pass edifice, fire, and ecology wellness inspections. They receive a notice of compliance from the state licensing agency.

Unregulated Care

Unregulated care is not monitored by a governmental bureau to ensure a quality environment that protects children. Child intendance that is not required to be regulated in North Carolina includes:

programs that operate for 4 or less hours per day
programs offered only for parents on-site (wellness clubs, supermarkets)
care provided in the kid's home or by relatives (more information about this type of care)
care provided in an individual's home for upward to 2 unrelated children
programs run by public schools and non otherwise subsidized by the government
seasonal programs operating less than four sequent months per year.

Types of Unregulated Child Care

One-half-Day Preschools
Because they offer care for iv or fewer hours per 24-hour interval, half-24-hour interval preschools may legally operate without a license. Care is normally offered for iii or iv hours in the morn, with schedules varying from one day per week upwards to five days per week. Unregulated half-day preschools may as well become NAEYC accredited. Phone call Kid Care Referral Key for information well-nigh preschools.
Care in the Child'southward Dwelling house
Agencies or individuals that provide care in the child's domicile are another form of legal, unregulated intendance. Parents may choose from nanny agencies, temporary care services, or dwelling health agencies. Information about these other types of care tin can be constitute past contacting Child Intendance Referral Central straight.
Other Types of Intendance
After schoolhouse programs, summer twenty-four hour period camps, private grade schools, intersession camps, and parents' morning out programs or playgroups are all types of intendance that may exist unregulated. Information almost these other types of intendance can exist institute by contacting Kid Care Referral Central directly.

Steps to Finding Child Care

A child may spend over 10,000 hours of his/her preschool years in a kid intendance program. A expert child care choice can brand those hours rewarding, fun and safe for your child, and requite you the security of knowing that your child is in a place where the potential for growth and development is greatest.

Whether y'all are looking for a kid care eye, preschool, family child care domicile or schoolhouse-historic period site, hither are steps that we suggest you follow when selecting child care:

Brainstorm equally early as possible. Many programs enroll months ahead or have long waiting lists.

Phone call Child Care Referral Key at 855-Early on-ED (855-327-5933) to speak with a referral specialist most child intendance quality and standards and receive your customized referral list or click hither to carry an online search.

Determine what is important for yous and your child. Make alist of what you want to know nearly a program.

Call the program manager or kid care home provider to ask most hours of operation, cost, meals, transportation and policies. If yous are interested, ready up an in-person visit.

Visita minimum of three child care programs and spend at least an hr at each site that you are because. Inquire your questions and use Kid Intendance Referral Cardinal'due south child care checklists to expect for quality indicators and compare programs. Observe all areas where the children are cared for, including outdoor areas. Look for danger signals that can warning you to problems. Mind to how the family unit kid care provider, director or teachers are interacting with the children.

Getreferences from others with children enrolled in the child care plan.
- Some questions yous might desire to inquire yourself:
  - Does your child like going to this program?
  - What do you like the virtually/least well-nigh this program?
  - Does the provider go on you well informed most your child's development? How?
  - Is the provider dependable and reliable?
  - Does the provider make you and your child feel comfortable in the program? How?
  - If you had to find child care again, would your kid nonetheless be enrolled in this programme?

Review thecompliance history of each plan that you lot are because. You can do this past visiting the web site of the North.C. Division of Child Evolution and Early on Education, the bureau regulating child care.

The work of parents in ensuring a quality child care feel does not cease once a option has been made. Once you have made your conclusion,get an involved parent. Volunteer at the program when you tin can. Drop in and visit your child at diverse times of the day. All high-quality child care programs welcome and need supportive parents. Parents can also serve every bit advocates for their own child and other children past monitoring their child's child care programme.

Have a redundancy plan in place. Inevitably, there will be emergencies at some point during your child care feel. It is wise to program ahead and have arrangements for care in the effect your child care program is closed or your child is sick.

CCRC Referral Policies

Disclaimer Policy

Kid Care Referral Central does not recommend nor endorse any kid care program or provider, and offers information to the community without regard to the age, gender, race, colour, religion, national origin, affectional orientation or disability of the service provider or the person seeking data. Counselors do non recommend programs to parents merely rather, provide them with referrals so parents are empowered to make their own decisions regarding the best care for their children.

Confidentiality Policy

Child Care Fundamental Referral is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all clients' personal information and records. All information shared with Child Care Referral Central is kept confidential and is used but to help families find the best intendance to meet families' needs.

Fee Policy

Kid Care Referral Central provides services to clients in a manner that makes them accessible and affordable to all families, regardless of income level. In keeping with this conventionalities, referral services are offered at no accuse to families.

CCRC FAQs

What is CCRC?

CCSA helps families with child care needs through a service chosen Child Care Referral Central (CCRC). Child Care Referral Specialists help have the guesswork out of choosing care past providing referrals to local programs, information on the NC Star Rated licensing arrangement and information on where to get assistance paying for kid care. Nosotros too offer Choosing Child Care Seminars in the customs and provide consumer education through our Family Focus eNewsletter and Fridays for Families video series on Facebook.

Child Care Referral Central is a regional collaborative between CCSA and the Alamance, Caswell, Person, and Franklin-Granville-Vance Partnerships for Children. Child Care Referral Central makes finding child care in the nine-county area of Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Orangish, Person, Vance, and Wake counties piece of cake and cardinal for families.

Watch this video to learn more than well-nigh how child care resources & referral agencies help families.
What should I wait after I talk with the referral specialist?
A CCRC Referral Specialist volition give you the tools to exist confident through the child care search process. They will aid you have the process 1 stride at a time and share with you the information you'll need to make the right kid care selection.

Information will include:
- Types of child care options. You will receive a detailed printout, listing programs that are matched by criteria like quality ratings, blazon of care, location, tuition rates, vacancies, ability to meet a special demand and more.
- North Carolina child care regulations
- Quality care indicators (checklists to take with you when you lot visit child care facilities & tips for checking references)
- Cost of care & financial assist
- Developmentally appropriate classroom practices & positive teacher-child interactions
- Details of visits by the state licensing agency
Are child care programs doing anything unlike in response to COVID-nineteen?

The DCDEE and DHHS has provided kid care programs and family unit kid care homes with a toolkit to help them make informed decisions about COVID-19 and minimize the hazard of exposure to both the staff and children in their care. In lodge for child care programs to remain open up, they must adjure to meeting the interim guidance for kid intendance settings found in this ChildCareStrongNC Public Wellness Toolkit.
Why is quality important in early learning settings similar child care or preschool?
The first 8 years of life are some of the nigh important formative years. Encephalon Science research confirms that early on experiences have a straight bear on on how children develop learning skills and social-emotional abilities that stay with them throughout life.

Participating in a high-quality child intendance program can assist your child
- build their Confidence . They become to do new skills in a safe and nurturing environment.
- build Relationships and develop secure attachments. These relationships help children to better empathise themselves in relation to others, as well every bit practice social skills like disharmonize resolution, taking turns and how to share. They have the opportunity to interact with children of a wide range of ages and personalities.
- feel that their contributions to the community are valued and encouraged . Early intendance and education settings often provide children the first opportunity outside of the domicile to accept a vox and contribute their ideas.
- acquire life skills such as problem-solving . Teachers tin can help children develop their inner strengths and critical thinking skills, which helps to express feelings, resolve conflicts, and take responsibility for their actions.
- develop language and communication skills . In quality child intendance programs, children are more probable to be exposed to big amounts of language and vocabulary through reading, singing and talking.
- increase emotional regulation. Consistent and nurturing interactions with a teacher tin can aid children manage and experience emotions, feelings and behaviors, which are foundational to success in learning.
- develop empathy to understand how others feel in a detail situation and respond with intendance. Pretend play, reading stories almost feelings, caring for animals or plants, having role models and empathetic teachers are all means that children learn about empathy in child care settings.
- be Resilient. Quality programs provide stable, supportive environments and meaningful ways to stay connected that are keys to children existence able to bounce back from a setback or pick themselves up from failure. Children have the opportunity to become out of their condolement zone and be vulnerable while feeling prophylactic to endeavour new things.
Spotter this video prune to hear more well-nigh the importance of quality in child care.
What does a quality child care plan setting look similar?

Northward Carolina has licensing standards that serve every bit a baseline for wellness and safety equally well as provide guidance regarding more comprehensive needs of young children. One of the keys to a loftier-quality program is what happens inside the classroom. Teachers appoint and tailor learning opportunities for children based on their needs through responsive language, classroom activities and language-rich environments. Positive guidance is used to foster independence, prevent & redirect challenging behaviors.

During your observations at child care settings you lot should see teachers who are responsive to the needs of each kid, supportive and engaging experiences for children, positive interactions between providers and children, learning opportunities that are developmentally appropriate, interactive and plentiful, and health, safety and welfare of children are priorities.

Watch this video clip to learn more almost what y'all should see in quality preschools.

View All CCRC FAQs »

Have child care questions? We can help!

1-855-327-5933

Our staff members are part of the squad of NC Child Care Resource and Referral Specialists who are operating the statewide kid intendance referral hotline. If you are a family needing referral back up from the hotline, please call us toll-free (1-888-600-1685).

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Source: https://www.childcareservices.org/families/find-child-care/