Child Care Networks - Latino Program

Child care is one of the more fundamental and rapidly increasing needs of the highly employed population of Latino/Hispanic parents in Chatham County. At Child Care Networks in Chatham County, we have created a Latino Program which successfully provides the same child care resource and referral services to our county's Spanish-speaking population as are available to the English-speaking population.

Before the Latino Program was founded in 1994, Spanish-speaking parents in Chatham County did not have full access to licensed child care programs, due to language differences and a lack of knowledge of how the child care system works. Therefore, they were improvising out of necessity their own system of child care through family members, friends, and at times acquaintances. The quality of child care was as varied as the resources available to these families. For those Latino/Hispanic parents who lacked the resources to ensure their children's health and educational development while they worked, looking to agencies or institutions to find quality child care was generally a foreign concept.

Health and safety training workshops to Spanish-speaking child care providers and parents.
We teach an on-going series of health and safety workshops, entitled Las Comadres y los Niños, (Comadre is a term used in many Latin American countries to refer to a close friend who assumes responsibility for the raising of one's children. Niños means children.) These workshops cover a variety of themes which include: North Carolina child care laws and regulations; health and safety guidelines for child care providers; how to communicate with English-speaking 911 operators in case of an emergency; dental health; and fire prevention. Child care providers and parents participating in Las Comadres y los Niños workshops receive health and safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, thermometers and training in their use. We also provide assistance in dealing with home health hazards such as lead paint.

Child Care referral counseling and assistance in applying for child care subsidy assistance.
Through Child Care Networks' bilingual Latino Program staff, Spanish-speaking families have access to the application procedures for child care subsidies for pre-school age children and communication can be maintained with these families to update information and follow-up. Latino Program staff interprets for subsidy appointments for Spanish-speaking parents, and maintains contact with these families as needed. We also accompany these families to child care centers/homes, serving as interpreters during the interview process, and discussing quality child care with parents' before and after these interviews. We follow-up with families and child care providers by continuing to serve as interpreters and translators when necessary to facilitate communication between them.

Resource Library of children's books and educational activities in Spanish.
Located in our Siler City office, Child Care Networks' Latino Program operates a resource library for Spanish-speaking parents and child care providers. Participating families are encouraged to read books with their children at home, with the goal of preparing children to succeed in school.