From the Director, Jeanne Wagner

The Child Care Council of Dutchess and Putnam, Inc. has listened to early childhood educators’ requests for professional development. For many years we have been proud to have offered trainings that covered all the OCFS required topic areas – and more. We have come to your programs and offered training for your staff. Often those trainings would lead to other new topics of interest.

In evaluating the Council’s Professional Development Program, we are implementing a few changes. We will be expanding the description of the training so you will have a good understanding of what you’ll learn and how it would benefit you, the children in your care, and possibly their parents and the community. We have been pleased to provide the numerous on-site trainings and will continue that. Our new approach will be to offer two trainings a month at the Council. You will be informed of the training content and also why it’s important to take the training. Child care educators who have attended trainings at the Council, have learned from the presenter and from fellow educators in the room. We have seen friendships form, professional connections develop, and support systems grow.

As the Child Care Council works to enrich the trainings held at the Council, we ask for your input. Please share topics and any other ideas with your Registrar; with the Director of Professional Development, Wendy Cooper; and with any Council staff, including me.

We look forward to hearing from you!

One of the many services we provide at the Child Care Council of Dutchess & Putnam, Inc. is a referral service for families that are looking for child care. Child care referrals are important because they help families find high-quality, reliable child care options that meet their specific needs. Our resource & referral team provide crucial information and support to families as they navigate their child care search.

Our resource and referral team needs your help to keep your program information accurate and up to date for families that call looking for child care. Our team will contact you about once per year to update your program profile – this includes your general program information such as hours of operation, current rates, contact information, etc. You will also be contacted every couple of months to update your program’s current openings.

We understand that when working in the early childhood education field, there is not a lot of downtime to chat on the phone! When it is time to update your program profile or current openings, we will send a link to your email. This link will allow you to update your information on your own time, at your convenience. If you do not wish to complete it via email, one of our referral specialists will give you a call to update over the phone.

You can let us know about any changes in your program using our Provider Update form available on our website or by calling Crystal Cooper at (845) 473-4141 ext. 221 or Sarah Rokitowski at (845) 473-4141 ext. 219.

Having the right insurance for your child care business is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk. This past February, OCFS held a Community Conversation on Liability Insurance. You are encouraged to watch or even re-watch the recording on this essential topic.

OCFS Community Conversations: Liability Insurance:

February 2025 Community Conversation English Recording 

Community Conversations February 2025 Spanish

Recently, some of you may have received communication from VOICE regarding proposed New York State legislation that would revise the current regulations for home-based child care providers. Specifically, the legislation seeks to change the existing requirement from allowing two children under the age of two to allowing two children under the age of 18 months.

While this bill has passed both the New York State Assembly and Senate, it has not yet been signed into law by the Governor as of the date of this newsletter. Additionally, no changes can be implemented until the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) officially notifies providers.

Until such time, it is essential to continue following current regulations. We strongly advise you to consult your regulator before making any changes to your program.

Points to consider should this change be enacted:

1. If you work alone, are you able to safely evacuate all children in your care during an emergency?

2. Have you discussed any potential program changes with your regulator?

The best rule of thumb, call your regulator to discuss any questions that you may have before making major changes to your program.

The Dutchess After-School Grant program will offer modest 2-year, general operating support grants to non-profit organizations across Dutchess County who are providing established after-school programming to youth in our community. These programs should focus on academic support, including tutoring/mentoring in core subjects such as math, science, and reading, as well as cultural and skills enrichment activities like arts, sports, life skills, and technology.

Must be a Nonprofit Organization to apply.

https://communityfoundationshv.org/grants/dutchessafterschool/

$10,000 grant ($5,000 for two years)

As temperatures rise and outdoor activities increase, summer presents unique health and safety challenges for childcare programs. Ensuring a safe, fun environment for children means being prepared, staying vigilant, and adjusting routines to meet seasonal needs. Here are some key areas to focus on this summer:

When advertising your business you must remember these three important parts:

Who is your audience?

Creating an Eye-Catching Headline

Why should people support you?

During the warm weather, it is especially important to take extra precautions and practice safe food handling when preparing perishable foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, and egg products. The warm weather conditions may be ideal for outdoor picnics and barbecues, but they also provide a perfect environment for bacteria and other pathogens in food to multiply rapidly and cause foodborne illness. 

The Infant Toddler Network is a resource for providers to collaborate with other professionals in the field. 

If you are interested in learning more please contact Tiffinie Helweg, Infant Toddler Specialist, about the Infant Toddler Educator Network for Dutchess County. Benefits of this connection would include networking with peers to share diverse knowledge and experiences, a refreshing sense of how to accommodate program strengths and needs, and any needed training and assistance for implementing new concepts and resources.