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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
Welcome
to the first special of our "Getting to know
you..." series. Throughout the next few weeks
we'll introduce you to the many child care agencies,
organizations and related services who can help you
with your child care needs and concerns.
The
fact is, there are many services available to asssit
parents, caregivers and employers. Most are as close
as your computer or your telephone.
CHILD
CARE ORGANIZATIONS
Child
care organizations, federations and associations have
a common goal: To educate politicians, caregivers
and parents on quality child care issues; advocate
for high-quality, affordable, accessible child care,
and create a public awareness of child care issues.
They also:
- conduct
research
- hold
seminars
- publish
much-needed child care related information
- discuss
child care issues with governments and businesses
- arrange
for child care experts to speak at meetings
- address
government hearings, and
- provide
assistance to just about anyone who has a child
care concern.
For
such organizations to be effective however, they need
members from all sides of the child care spectrum,
from parents to caregivers, and from individual programs
to politicians: Below is a quick list of just a few
of the major national child care organizations in
both Canada and the U.S.
Child
care organizations also reach down into individual
states/provinces and individual communities to provide
support for local initiatives, child care providers
and professionals. Please visit our Valuable
Links page for a listing of organizations in your
area. If you represent an organization and your information
is not included, please take the time to add your
link.
IN
CANADA
Canadian Child Care Federation
383 Parkdale Avenue, Suite 201
Ottawa, ON K1Y 4R4
1-800-858-1412 Toll Free
(613) 729-5289
The C.C.C.F. is a national, non-profit, service-based
organization committed to improving the quality of
child care in Canada. It encourages communication,
promotes research and supports the development of
resources for child care. The C.C.C.F. also develops
models, standards, and guidelines for quality child
care, professional development and organizational
design.
The
Federation publishes a quarterly magazine, INTERACTION,
as well as other bulletins, resource sheets, and updates
on the Child Care Initiatives Fund projects, which
are part of their membership benefits. They also hold
national conferences, sponsor public education and
help to develop national guidelines.
The
Canadian Association For Young Children
1009 London Street,
New Westminister, B.C. V3M 3B7
(604) 522-7584
The
Canadian Association for Young Children (CAYC) was
granted it's Federal Charter in 1974. To this day,
the CAYC is the only national association specifically
concerned with the well being of children, birth through
age nine - at home, in preschool settings and at school.
Canadian
Day Care Advocacy Association
323 Chapel Street Ottawa,
Ontario K1 N 7Z2
(613) 594-3196
The
C.D.C.A.A. is an incorporated, non-profit, bilingual
organization committed to the development of accessible,
affordable, high-quality, child care services for
Canadians. The primary goal of the association is
to work toward expanding the child care system and
improving its quality. The
Association has a broad base of support, and represents
a constituency of parents, day care providers and
concerned individuals and groups. Membership includes
participation in biennial Steering Committee elections,
their newsletter, VISIONS, and policy and research
papers.
Child
Care Resource and Research Unit
Centre for Urban and Community Studies
University of Toronto
455 Spadina Avenue Suite 305
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2G8
(416) 978-6895
The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) at
the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University
of Toronto began operation in the early 1980s in response
to a need in the child care field for information
and public education resources. As child care and
related services have developed in Canada, the requirements
of researchers, advocates, and policy makers for research,
policy and program materials concerning child care
have expanded enormously. Over the years, the CRRU
has evolved to meet some of these requirements.
The
CRRU produces a number of publications including an
Occasional Paper series, fact sheets containing summaries
of pertinent child care information, annotated bibliographies
and other publications. The Unit has also produced
several videotapes.
IN
THE UNITED STATES
Child
Care Action Campaign (C.C.A.C.)
330 Seventh Avenue, 17th Floor
New York, NY 1001-5010
(212) 239-0138
The C.C.A.C. educates the public about the need for
more quality, affordable child care and advocates
for solutions to the crisis. Members receive the bi-monthly
newsletter, CHIlD CARE ACTIONEWS, announcements of
C.C.A.C.'s activities and information about recent
developments in the child care field. Membership with
the C.C.A.C. helps support their efforts to make quality,
affordable child care available for ALL children and
families.
National
Association for the Education of Young Children
(N.A.E.Y.C.)
1509- 16th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 232-8777
N.A.E.Y.C.
is a non-profit professional organization dedicated
to improving the quality of services provided to young
children and their families. They meet this goal by:
(1)
providing educational opportunities and resources
to promote the
professional development
of those working for and with young
children, and
(2) working to increase public knowledge and support
for high quality
early childhood programs.
Among their services are an Annual Conference, a bi-monthly
journal YOUNG CHILDREN, and an extensive array of
brochures, books, videos, posters, information kits,
and resource referrals through their expanding Information
Service. Membership helps to support advocacy efforts,
the annual 'Week of the Child', position statements,
and media representation to inform the public about
the needs of America's children. .
National
Association for Family Child Care
725 Fifteenth St. N. W., Suite 505
Washington, D.C. 20005
(800) 359-3817
The
N.A.F.C.C. is a professional organization representing
family group home child care providers throughout
the United States. The mission of N.A.F.C.C. is to
promote and enhance their professional by recognizing
and encouraging quality child care for children. Membership
includes a year subscription to their quarterly newsletter,
THE NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE for a basic membership, and
the DIRECTORY OF ASSOCIATIONS and SUPPORT GROUPS plus
voting privileges for Association and Agency memberships.
For
more links to child care organization on a national,
state/provincial or local level, please visit our
Valuable
Links Page.
Additional
Resources in our Getting to know you series...
Daycare
Licensing Offices
Child
Care Resource & Referral
Child Care Agencies
Family Resource
Centres and Toy Libraries
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