FAMILIES
Child Care Resource & Referral
Our local Child Care Resource & Referrals team helps families find information about the different types of child care available locally while focusing on meeting your specific needs. Additionally, we share characteristics of a quality child care program and connect families to community resources. This is a free and confidential service.
Building Blocks also teaches community members and organizations about the supply and demand for child care, including information on the types of programs available and types of programs parents are asking for. We also help you explore the gaps between the two.
This project was supported by funding from the Child Care Development Block Grant awarded to the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, a division of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
Choosing Quality Care
Choosing a quality provider that will provide healthy and safe care for your child is top priority. There are many kinds of child care programs. Some programs may operate in large centers with many classrooms, while others may take place in someone’s home or within a church or faith-based location.
Quality Indicators
With so many different options for your child, how do you find the best fit for you? Start with Paths to QUALITY™, Indiana’s quality rating and improvement system for child care. It is a free resource that helps families make informed decisions.
It consists of four levels and each level builds on the foundation of the previous one. Providers start at Level 1 and work their way towards national accreditation at the highest level, Level 4.
TYPES OF CHILD CARE
Choosing a child care program is one of the most important decisions a family makes. In Indiana, you can find safe, high-quality programs in homes, centers, and faith-based early learning settings. Programs vary greatly and finding the right fit looks different to each family.
Health & Safety
As you visit a new program or send your child to their current program, here are the essential questions you should ask and items to keep in mind focused on child health and safety.
Financial Support
No matter your family’s need, you may be eligible to receive financial support from the state or from your child care provider. These programs have varying eligibility, but all help families give their children solid educational starts.
Child Care Development Fund
The Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) is a federal program that helps low-income families get child care and daycare assistance so that they may work, attend training or continue their education.
Safe Sleep
We know that, when practiced, safe sleep basics saves lives. But solving the issue of sleep-related infant death is more than just preaching a set of safety standards. It is about making sure the caregivers in our community follow safe sleep basics, even when they feel impossibly hard.
Emily Morgan Broady unfortunately was a child who passed away from unsafe sleep practices at a child care provider in May 2019. Watch her story and learn how she is helping to ensure caregivers are equipped with resources to practice safe sleep.
Safe sleep is as easy as
A
Alone
Babies should sleep alone in their own sleep space, in the same room but on a separate surface from other people.
B
Back
Babies should be placed on their back to sleep. Every nap. Every sleep. Every time.
C
Crib
Babies should sleep in an approved sleeping space such as a crib or Pack ‘N Play with a firm, flat surface, with no extra items such as bumpers, blankets, or toys.
Hot Car Safety
Exhaustion, stress, and changes in normal routines can cause your memory to fail when you least expect it, causing even the most attentive parents or caregivers to overlook a sleeping baby in a car. This oversight can result in severe consequences, including injury or death.
Ollie Dill was a child who passed away from heatstroke after being left in a hot car in July 2019. By understanding his story from his parent’s perspective, we can learn about the dangers associated with leaving children in hot cars and ways to prevent such tragedies.