Page 13 - Strengthening California’s Emergency Child Care Bridge Program

Strengthening California’s Emergency Child Care Bridge
“
The person that took care of my daughter treated us like family. Knowing that if I was running late or had another meeting after work, it was okay. You’re less stressed, more pleasant to be around, and have more energy for other things.
– San Bernardino Caregiver
“
In year two of the evaluation, caregivers were asked if they changed child care providers while
in the program and what were the circumstances that led to those changes 33% of interviewed caregivers said they did change providers while in the Bridge Program Those caregivers that changed providers felt their child needed more attention or support from the provider For example, some mentioned wanting more supervision for the child due to the child coming home with bumps and bruises, and some caregivers wanted a more structured setting for the child Other caregivers mentioned challenges related to COVID-19’s impact on child care For example, one caregiver felt there were too many children attending one child care setting or there were too many sick days In all of these cases caregivers reported working with their CCN and finding a new provider that met their and their child’s needs
While in the Bridge Program, caregivers are able to select the type of child care setting for their child Some counties require licensed care, while others allow for license-exempt care such as family, friend, or neighbor care Of those that participated in the online survey, 58% of caregivers selected a licensed center-based child care program and 43% selected a licensed family childcare home The small percentage of caregivers that utilized FFN care is likely due to many counties requiring licensed care for participation in the Bridge Program The online survey allowed caregivers to select multiple options to indicate that their child was in multiple types of care, even if the Bridge Program voucher only provided for one child care provider
FIGURE 2: SELECTED CHILD CARE SETTING
58%
43%
6%
Child Care Center Family Child Care Home Family, Friend, or Neighbor
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