Frequently Asked Questions

4C is the region’s leading resource in early education and care and works to improve the quality of early childhood education in 23 counties in Southwest Ohio, the Miami Valley and Northern Kentucky.

What is the story behind 4C and why was the agency started in 1972?

4C was founded in 1972, 36 years ago, to coordinate efforts to increase the supply and quality of child care and early childhood education in Greater Cincinnati. At that time there were fewer than 50 child care programs. Now, there are nearly 500, plus several thousand home-based child care businesses. We now serve 23 counties in Northern Kentucky, Southwest Ohio and Greater Dayton and work with other child-serving agencies to continue to find new ways to meet the needs of families, child care providers and the community.

The community’s interest has changed dramatically. In 1972, it was originally focusing more on child care as an economic development tool to enable families to work – someplace safe for the children to go while their parents were at work or in school. Today, while we recognize that these programs are essential for working parents, the greater interest is quality child care for it’s potential in child development. And that is where 4C comes in.

Why is it important we now focus on child development instead of just child care?

We know that 90% of brain development takes place by age 5 and these years are critical to a child’s success. 4C strives to help every child in our region have a quality early childhood education to build a strong foundation for success in the future.

We work to ensure children are prepared for kindergarten and to help every child have a positive experience and a foundation for success in school and life.

What is 4C’s mission and what types of services does 4C offer to help achieve this mission?

The mission of 4C is to improve the quality, effectiveness and accessibility of early childhood education and care in the region so every child has a positive experience and a foundation for success in school and life.

The agency assists thousands of parents, family child care providers, child care centers and employers each year through programs in child care referral, consumer education, counseling, training and technical assistance. We also serve as an advocate for children.

How does 4C help families find and choose quality child care?

4C has the region’s only early care and education referral service for families. We help nearly 10,000 families each year who are seeking help in finding and choosing an early childhood setting for their children.
4C provides referrals to licensed child care centers and family child care homes that are licensed by the States of Ohio or Kentucky or to those providers who have agreed to meet and uphold the 4C 20 minimum standards.
4C helps parents and families have the information they need to choose the best quality early childhood experiences for their children. 4C counselors and our resources for parents help them to understand what quality means in child care and early education settings so they can make the best decision, based on their family needs.
4C recruits new family child care providers in high need areas.
4C administers the child care subsidy program for United Way. We help more than half of the families we work with find financial assistance including United Way scholarships for child care.
4C makes its database of more than 2,600 options available to families online, at www.4CforChildren.org, so that parents or grandparents can complete a child care search on their own.
4C also has parent counselors dedicated to reaching out to families – going to schools and fairs and anywhere parents of young children gather, to reach those whose child care is grandma or another family member or friends or neighbors for child care, to insure that all families have the opportunity to learn about the critical importance of the early years.

How does 4C help early childhood professionals or child care providers?

We know that the early years are by far the most critical time for learning – and for establishing capacity to learn. So that’s where we come in.

4C offered more than 900 courses last year, attended by more than 15,000 participants. Many of our courses carry college credit through partnerships with local universities, so participants are getting a gateway to college and many go on to earn their degrees. We offer everything from first aid, child abuse prevention, curriculum to business and leadership courses.
4C offers the Institute for Early Childhood Excellence that dramatically increases the skills and knowledge of early childhood educators, ensuring the best early childhood experiences for children in this region.
4C provides technical assistance and support through groups and networks for center and school-age program staff as well as family care providers.
Along with training classes, 4C believes that coaching of teachers and technical assistance results in the greatest chance for quality improvement. 4C has coaching as part of our training, and we have specialists who work with centers to improve all aspects of their care for children.
4C plays a key role in implementing Ohio’s quality rating and enhancement programs. The agency provides the training and technical assistance to help programs earn star-ratings through Ohio’s Step Up To Quality program.

How is 4C an advocate for children?

4C works to increase school readiness through government advocacy – working to change public policy on the local, state and federal level.

For example, Ohio is one of only five states in the country that does not regulate home-based child care businesses. An individual can care for up to six children in his or her home with no license, no training, no safety measures. We cannot begin to work on school readiness in these homes where nearly half of all children are in child care, unless there are some basic health and safety protections. That is the baseline for one of our current initiatives.
4C is involved in changing systems and policies that prevent us from reaching the goals.

What are other ways 4C is a leader in this field?

4C is a resource to educate the public on the importance of quality early childhood education.
4C lends its knowledge of family needs and early childhood best practice on community initiatives to make children a priority. One example is by working closely with the United Way Success by 6™ throughout the United Way Greater Cincinnati region in order to improve school readiness.

What do the C’s stand for in 4C?

When 4C was founded in 1972, it was called Comprehensive Community Child Care. People have always known us as 4C. Since early education is broader than just child care, we began using our commonly known name with a tag line, 4C…for Children, in 1999.

How is 4C funded?

4C receives ongoing support from United Way, the Ohio Department of Education, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the City of Cincinnati, the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, and several county job and family services departments.

What areas does 4C serve?

4C serves five counties in Southwest Ohio (Warren, Butler, Clermont, Clinton and Hamilton), 10 counties in the Miami Valley (Champaign, Clark, Darke, Fayette, Greene, Logan, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby) and eight counties in Northern Kentucky (Kenton, Campbell, Boone, Grant, Owen, Pendleton, Gallatin and Carroll)

Frequently Asked Questions About 4C

About 4C