By Tanya Robinson-Caldwell and Brittany Falls
Whether you are a working parent, stay-at-home parent, caregiver, or student living in Guilford, Randolph or Rockingham Counties, finding the right type of quality child care is critical. Child Care is essential to the survival of families, and although used for educational purposes of children, not many people are keenly aware of the financial strain that child care puts on low to moderate income working parents. Including parents who are in school, enrolled in training programs to enhance or expand vocational enhancements in order to adjust to the changing job market needs and make them viable citizens of our communities.
Finding ways to pay for child care often presents a problem for low-to-moderate income families. It is recommended that you pay no more than 10% of your gross income for child care, but without subsidies such as DSS or other private community scholarships…often parents end up paying close to 23% to 25 % of their income on child care.
Parent education offered through Regional Child Care Resources and Referral of Guilford County (RCCR&R) is geared towards a more generic approach for families-parents and child care providers to become informed about child development and early childhood resources. RCCR&R has collaborated with the Family Success Center presently located at Guilford Child Development and has offered families-parents opportunities to attend a wide range of workshops and obtain information regarding the developmental needs of their children. This of course in conjunction with Head Start/Early Head Start, Goodwill Industries, Step-up and other collaborators involved with the FSC.
Finding the quality care most suitable for your child will take time but it offers opportunities for children to boost learning and interact with their peers from diverse backgrounds. Learning about the types of child care available and what makes a quality child care program will help your search to be successful. Identifying alternate means for paying for child care including subsidies through DSS, Federal Child Care Tax Credits, or other scholarships is another help that parents need. Let Regional Child Care Resources and Referral of Guilford Child Development assist you. Our services are free of charge, and we can help you find quality regulated, licensed child care regardless of your needs: full-time, part-time, days, evenings, overnights, weekend or summer. Whether you have an infant or a school age child – for children ages 0 through age 12 – we are here to help!
To contact Guilford Child Development, you can reach out via email or telephone:
Greensboro 336.369.5097
High Point 336.887.8224