Introduction
In today's society, more and more families are relying on some type of childcare arrangement in order to meet the competing demands of work and family. In 1997, 29.1 million U.S. families had children under the age of 14. In more than half of these families, either both parents worked or the family was headed by a single working parent. Three out of five mothers with children under age six work outside the home.
Whether by choice or by necessity, balancing the competing demands of work and child care is one of the most challenging undertakings that a family can have. The Child Care Resources Handbook is intended to introduce you - employers and employees - to a number of organizations and resources that can help you meet that challenge.
This handbook was developed primarily to put employees in touch with the many free resource organizations and agencies around the country that can help them meet their childcare needs. It provides practical tips on how to find quality child care, and places to call for further information on related topics, such as obtaining financial assistance.
It includes questions to ask during the initial telephone screening and a checklist of things to observe when visiting childcare centers or homes. It also provides several directories of resources around the country that can help parents learn about quality child care, including:
- Local child care referral agencies;
- Federally sponsored child care centers;
- Financial assistance for low income parents;
- State resource and referral network contacts; and
- Federal and national organizations.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is committed to supporting Federal programs that assist employees who are caring for children, as well as providing work and family personnel flexibilities that help balance these responsibilities.
OPM wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the U.S. General Services Administration in providing input for the Federally sponsored day care centers.
The Federal government has focused on providing information that is readily and conveniently available to people. A Federal web site, sponsored by over 15 Federal agencies, is available to provide you with valuable resources on childcare. It shares a site with www.afterschool.gov. The goal of the site is to provide one site where information on child care resources is available. It can be found at www.childcare.gov. You will find additional valuable Federal resources throughout this document.
Child Care Resources Handbook Index
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NOTE: Under Federal Law, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is prohibited from ranking, endorsing, or promoting agencies or organizations listed in the Child Care Resources Handbook.
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