Articles under Providers

WLWT Highlights Child Care Teacher Shortage

June 21, 2023

A 4C for Children survey shows child care programs continue to struggle with staffing issues that result in needing to close classroom. Recently, WLWT highlighted this issue in an interview with Vanessa Freytag, 4C for Children president and CEO.

“Unfortunately, we hear stories of many families who are expecting a child, and they do have to put their name on a waiting list, typically nearly the minute that they find out that they are pregnant,” Vanessa Freytag said in the June 12 segment.

Child Care Stabilization Sub-Grants Q&A

March 10, 2022

Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) supports the recovery and stabilization of child care providers across the nation. In Ohio, this money is now available to child care programs in the form of Stabilization Sub-grants. Since these funds are being distributed through grants that means the money does not need to be paid back if it is used according to the guidelines. Read More about Child Care Stabilization Sub-Grants Q&A »

Resources for Child Care Providers to Promote Lifelong Learning

May 23, 2023

Building Brain Activities

Children learn and practice important executive function skills through games and playful activities. For babies and toddlers, play can start to build brain architecture and the foundation to lifelong learning and healthy development. Use the tools in the 4C for Children quality practices library to support the following skills:

Focus attention
Strengthen working memory
Develop self-control

Parenting Hot Topic: Embrace Earth Day in Ohio

March 31, 2023

Children dig it! Earth Day, tabbed this year on April 22, is an opportunity to celebrate our planet and learn about ways to protect it. You and your family can celebrate Earth Day by diving into nature, learning about the Earth’s importance and discovering ways to conserve it.

Here are some simple tips to help protect our natural world:

Survey Results Show Little Change in Child Care Landscape

April 21, 2023

The data collected from a February 2023 4C for Children survey of local child care program administrators shows little change in the local child care landscape from similar data collected by 4C in 2021. Classrooms are still shuttered and a staffing shortage continues. These outages are resulting in more than 4,000 infant, toddler, preschool and school-age children in Southwest Ohio and the Miami Valley combined who can’t access quality early learning.

Providers: Biennium Deadline is Approaching

May 2, 2023

The current professional development (PD) biennium comes to an end on June 30, 2023.

This means all administrators, lead teachers, assistant teachers and family child care providers working in Step Up To Quality star-rated programs must have completed 20 hours of Ohio Approved training.

Parenting Hot Topic: Talk About Teeth

January 30, 2023

February is for flossing—not the dance move but the dental hygiene activity! This month is National Children’s Dental Health month.

Poor dental health can lead to pain and infection that may cause problems when eating, speaking, playing, and learning. Children who have poor oral health often miss school more and receive lower grades compared to other children.

The good news is cavities are preventable! Daily dental hygiene routines at home and regular visits to a dentist can help. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), parents can support young children by developing good dental habits. Read More about Parenting Hot Topic: Talk About Teeth »

Child Care Issues are Impacting Businesses

April 11, 2023

The U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey reported in August 2022 that nearly 870,000 women have left jobs to care for one or more child under 5.

In a recent blog post featured on the Workforce Innovation Center, 4C for Children president/CEO Vanessa Freytag shares current child care trends like this and how these trends are impacting local businesses.

A ‘State of Crisis’ for Parents in Ohio

May 13, 2023

Child care staffing continues to impact programs, families

A recent 4C for Children survey showed due to the lack of teachers, there’s more than 4,000 children unable to be placed in child care programs in the Cincinnati and Miami Valley regions.

“The big problem is that we have a huge teacher shortage,” Vanessa said. “The survey results showed us that in this (Cincinnati) region alone, we’re missing more than 300 teachers. And of those teachers, each would serve six to 15 children, depending on what ages there are.”
Read More about A ‘State of Crisis’ for Parents in Ohio »

Celebrating Child Care Providers in Southwest Ohio and Miami Valley

May 17, 2023

4C for Children delivers nearly 750 gifts on National Provider Appreciation Day

In-home child care providers often care for children whose parents work non-traditional hours like third shift and weekends. This type of care allows adults to go to work and provide for their families.

“This is a day to honor child care professionals who run in-home businesses to provide care for infants, toddlers, and children in our community,” 4C for Children President and CEO, Vanessa Freytag said. “It’s important that 4C for Children and others recognize their hard work and dedication.”

Take a look inside the special delivery in this video.