Important Update on CWEE’s Child Care Efforts

This month, we are excited to share an important update around our efforts to find child care solutions for families in our community. Due to the ongoing CCCAP freeze, child care is increasingly difficult for low-income families to access and afford. That’s why over the last year and a half, we’ve partnered with more than a dozen organizations in our community who are also invested in this work. Together, we formed the Child Care Coalition, which has collected data about child care needs, analyzed the information gathered and is now actively working on innovative solutions to support our community’s needs.

Based on the data we’ve collected from the families we serve, CWEE is seeking to help strengthen our families’ use of Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) care so they can build networks of support to rely on throughout the next five years. We know that most families facing poverty rely on informal care. In fact, 61% of CWEE participants prefer care from someone they already know and trust. FFN care is often more flexible, affordable, and culturally responsive. That’s why we’re building networks between CWEE families and FFN caregivers to create a stronger, more supportive child care system.

We have created an FFN committee made up of CWEE staff who work directly with participants and have a deep understanding of their needs. Many of these staff members are parents, too, and understand the challenge that finding trusted, affordable child care presents. This committee is focused on ways to develop networks of family, friend, and neighbor providers for CWEE participants. We are also testing a mobile tool from Carefullyapp.com to see what it would look like for families to use it to find care.

CWEE will host a childcare workshop in January, and we envision providing informal caregivers with access to early childhood development training, safety resources, and educational materials to improve the quality of care they already provide in the community where they live.

Over the next few months, we’ll keep working on new child care solutions so families can get the support they need to succeed, and we hope you’ll join us in this venture! Follow us on social media and make sure you’re subscribed to email updates so you can stay informed and support this important work.