Page 11 - Strengthening California’s Emergency Child Care Bridge Program

Strengthening California’s Emergency Child Care Bridge
Bridge Decreased Economic and Emotional Stress of Caregivers
Across both study years, caregivers who responded to the online survey agreed that the Bridge program reduced their levels of stress Developmental science shows that stress
in the family can have adverse efects on children Anything that can reduce stress for parents will help create a healthier environment for children, particularly children that have experienced trauma Results from the survey indicated that:
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When a parent has stress, the child has stress. It goes hand in hand.
– San Luis Obispo Caregiver
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• 96% reported reduced stress levels due to their foster child attending child care
• 84% agreed the Child Care Navigator (CCN) reduced their stress levels
• 76% reported reduced economic stress
• 70% reported reduced emotional stress
Findings from both study years indicated that the CCN was an integral component of the Bridge Program The CCN’s responsibility is to connect caregivers to quality child care providers and assist caregivers with securing financial support for child care
• 90% of caregivers agreed the CCN coordinated the timely placement of their foster child with a child care provider
• 88% of caregivers agreed that the CCN provided quality child care referrals
• 87% of caregivers agreed enrolling in the Bridge Program was easy
Finally, 30% of caregivers reported needing help finding a child care provider, which is one of the main functions of the CCN This illustrates that nearly two out of three caregivers already have a provider in mind when they connect with a CCN for Bridge Services
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I want to say [everything was] on a platter, [the CCN] made me feel very supported and alleviated a lot of stress in a time of transition for me because I had to move, and all of these diferent things that were going on because of accepting placement for foster care.
– Sacramento Caregiver
Furthermore, survey and interview data from caregivers from both years of the study illustrate the reduction in economic and emotional stress due to participation in the Bridge program From year two data, almost two-thirds of interviewed caregivers reported reduced economic stress due to child care financial assistance Caregivers noted they did not have to worry about being able to aford or find child care, both of which brought down stress levels at home and benefited their children Additionally, some caregivers mentioned being able to repurpose
their family budget from child care to enrichment opportunities for their children in foster care Caregivers also stated that the child care assistance allowed them to work, compounding the financial benefit to the family
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