Child Care Resource Development Specialist

This program provides assistance to Registered Home Providers, Licensed Facilities and the Community, around child care related issues. Training opportunities and professional development are supported through this program. Technical assistance is also provided through newsletters, home visits, resource lending library, and on-site and phone consultation.

747-0033 or 800.775.2390
Rosie Piontek
rosiep@vac-rutland.com

Child Care
Subsidy Specialist

This program determines eligibility for
child care subsidy, assisting families in their efforts to pay for child care. The Subsidy Specialist collects financial and family information to determine a family’s eligibility.

773-4365 or 800.775.2390
Ann Hughes
ahughes@vac-rutland.com
Courtney Mason
cmason@vac-rutland.com
Marcy Fenton
mfenton@vac-rutland.com

Child Care
Referral Specialist

The Referral program is a free and confidential service which informs and educates parents and the community about child care options and programs. The program provides referrals to child care programs, not recommendations. Information is provided to assist parents in clarifying their needs for child care, and addressing their questions associated with child care. Parents are also informed about financial assistance, and are given verbal and written information on choosing quality child care. Click here to fill out the Child Care referral form for a detailed child care search. Click here for a basic list of child care providers in Rutland County. If you have any concerns about the service you have received, please call Vermont's Child Development Division at 1-800-649-2642.

747-0033 or 800.775.2390
referral@vac-rutland.com

Who to contact with a concern:

• If you have any concerns about the service you received from Child Care Support Services please call 1-800-649-2642.
• For concerns about a child care provider in the state of Vermont please call 1-800-540-7942.
• You can obtain complete copies of compliant policies and procedures by calling the Child Development Division at 1-800-649-2642.

Rutland County Child Care Facts
Click here for basic facts about child care in Rutland County, including the average cost of child care. (PDF format)
 

Agency of Human Services
Department for Children and Families

Child Development Division
www.dcf.state.vt.us/cdd/
Assuring a statewide system that promotes and supports safe, accessible, quality child care for Vermont families. This site provides various resources and links to child care in the state of Vermont.

Fee Scale Program
www.brightfutures.dcf.state.vt.us/vtcc/
The Fee Scale Program provides financial assistance for non-ANFC employed parents and for parents enrolled in approved training programs on a sliding fee scale, co-payment basis, that relates to family size and gross income.

Bright Futures Child Care Information System
www.brightfuturesinfo.org
This is the place for parents and child care providers to get answers to questions about child care, early education, school age care, and the services available to help ensure that high quality child care is available to every child in Vermont who needs it.

Additional Services and Resources

Vermont Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
www.vermontchildcare.org
VACCRRA and its member agencies help employers and families with services which include a comprehensive dependent care needs assessment, a Vermont Work-Family Toolkit, and technical assistance on child care benefits.

Zero to Three: Child Development (birth to age 3)
www.zerotothree.org
Promoting the healthy development of our nation’s infants and toddlers by supporting and strengthening families, communities and those who work on their behalf.

Redleaf National Institute: National Center for the Business of Family Child Care
www.redleafinstitute.org
Committed to improving the quality of family child care by helping providers successfully manage their businesses and offering support to trainers, tax preparers and organizations who assist providers with their business.

Child Care Aware
www.childcareaware.org
Child Care Aware is a non-profit initiative committed to helping parents find the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community.

When looking for Child Care (Click on the following for more information)

     Need help paying for Child Care?
     Rutland County Head Start
     Tax Credits
     Child Care Support Services Newsletter (PDF format)
 

LOOK...
Visit several Child Care homes or centers. Does it look safe? Do the teachers enjoy talking and playing with children? Do they talk with each child at the child's level? Are there plenty of toys and learning materials within a child's reach?     

LISTEN...
Do the children sound happy and involved? Do the teachers speak in cheerful and patient tones? A place that is too quiet may mean not enough activity. A place that is too noisy may mean that there is a lack of control.  

COUNT...
Count the number of children in the group. Then count the number of staff members caring for them. A program is able to focus attention on your child, if the teacher to child ratio and size of group is low.

ASK...

• Ask about the background and experience of the provider. Child care providers with special skills may be able to offer more to your family.
• Ask how long the staff have been with the program. If the staff have been with a program for a long time it may be a sign that the program is responsive to the staff's needs as well as the family's needs.
• If you have any questions or concerns, discuss them with the provider as soon as possible.

Other things to consider:

• Is the child care program regulated? Depending on the type of child care you need you may want a program that is regulated. Regulated means that the programs has basic health and safety criteria they need to meet. Click here to see the types of child care options in Vermont and basic regulation requirements. (PDF format)

For a complete list of regulations, visit Vermont's Child Development Division's website at www.cddvt.org.

To find out if a program has had any violations on the regulations in the past two years go to www.brightfuturesinfo.org or call Vermont's Child Care Consumer Concern Line at 1-800-540-7942.

• Is the child care program accredited or have a quality rating?

Child Care programs can become accredited. Accredited means they have demonstrated to a national organization that they go above and beyond the basic child care regulations. Accreditation is an investment by the child care program in the quality of the child care they provide.   There are several types of accreditation for the different types of child care programs. They include:

• National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC)
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• National Afterschool Association (NAA)
• National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA)

Vermont also has a quality rating system for child care called STARS (STep Ahead Recognition System). Programs that participate in STARS are stepping ahead -- going beyond the regulations to provide professional services to meet the needs of children and families. Programs receive one to five stars based on points earned in five areas of child care. The five areas of child care are:

• regulatory history
• qualifications and training
• families and community
• program assessment
• administration

Need help paying for child care?  back to top
A variety of programs are available to families to assist with child care costs.

Vermont Child Care Subsidy Program
This is a program for Vermont residents to assist in paying for child care. To qualify your family must :

• Have a reason (or service need) for child care, and
• Meet certain income guidelines.

For more information contact Child Care Support Services.

Rutland County Head Start  back to top
Rutland County Head Start is a federally-funded program for low income, preschool-aged children and their families.

Services include:

• Center-based preschool experience
• Home-based visits
• Health Education
• Social Service
• Parent Involvement

Public preschools:
Some public schools offer free or low cost preschool options. These programs may be located at the school or with regulated child care programs contracted by the school. For more information about programs available in your community call your local child care referral specialist or the local school.

Tax Credits  back to top

Earned Income Credit — a special tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. Workers who qualify for the EIC and file a tax return can get back some or all of the federal income tax that was taken out of their pay during the year. They may also get extra cash back from the IRS.

Child Tax Credit — a federal tax credit worth up to $1,000 in 2006 for each qualifying child under the age of 17 claimed on the worker's tax return.

Low Income Child & Dependent Care Tax Benefits — If you paid someone to care for a qualifying individual so you (and your spouse if you are married) could work or look for work, you may be able to claim the credit for child and dependent care expenses. (Specific provider requirements apply for state tax credit in Vermont please see www.dcf.state.vt.us/cdd/news/index.html)

Financial assistance offered by child care programs:
Child care programs may offer financial assistance to families through sliding fee scales or scholarships. As your child care provider if this is something they may offer.