CANTON, New York (WWNY) – Child care programs are a necessity for working parents, but they can be hard to find in the north country. That’s why St. Lawrence County is investing in new programs.
While there are currently 50 programs in the north country, it’s not enough to support the need.
St. Lawrence County has invested more than $200,000 in federal funds to create the Family Child Care Training Program.
“We will work with applicants from day one all the way to the end where they will receive license and registration. The first step in the county project is for those individuals to work with us. We provide technical assistance to help them get through this application process,” said Bruce Stewart, St. Lawrence Child Care Council director.
Starting with the council, applicants will then work with the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton where they will get training on the financial and business side of child care.
“My partnership in this program is to help these people set up a strong business foundation for their child care center. So we’re going to do six training sessions. It will be virtual and cover all different aspects: how to set the business up; business planning; marketing, finance projections,” said Dale Rice, Small Business Development Center director.
Finally, applicants will enroll in a 3-credit online course through SUNY Canton’s Early Childhood Program.
“It’s a win-win for parents because they know they can entrust the care their child is receiving because that individual, that participant in this program has received mentorship from beginning to end and it doesn’t end with the program,” said Maureen Maiocco, director, SUNY Canton Early Childhood Program.
The program is set to begin sometime later this fall, with informational sessions being held Thursday evening and August 17 at noon.
If interested, call Katy Pinkerton of the St. Lawrence Child Care Council at 315-393-6474, extension 17.
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