Integrated Support Ecosystem

Conducts complaint investigations on registered and illegal childcare providers, performs safety assessments based on staff criminal history, processes fingerprint waivers and background checks, and conducts enforcement actions for serious or repeated violations.

Monitors and regulates family and school-age childcare programs in Erie County by processing applications, conducting inspections, overseeing corrective actions, and providing technical assistance to over 200 providers annually.

Trains and provides quality improvement services to nearly 2,000 childcare providers annually.

Supports family day care providers in Dutchess and Putnam Counties by administering the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), offering financial reimbursement and education to help them serve nutritious meals and snacks to children in their care.

Engages in advocacy by communicating with policymakers, businesses, and community agencies; supports parents and providers in advocacy efforts; and issues public alerts and calls to action on child care policy issues.

Employed two Early Intervention Initial Service Coordinators through a contract with the Dutchess County Department of Health to support families and children.

Offers parent education opportunities and training sessions in partnership with human service agencies, scheduled throughout the community, including resources on mindfulness and child development.

Operates an on-site and mobile Resource Lending Library that supplies toys, teaching units, equipment, and professional resources to member child care providers in Dutchess and Putnam Counties.

Maintains operational offices in Poughkeepsie and Mahopac, NY, providing in-person and appointment-based services Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM.

Provides a free, comprehensive referral service for families seeking child care, summer recreation, nursery schools, and pre-k programs, supported by a database of over 290 programs and an electronic request system with responses within one business day; also maintains a 24/7 public search database and offers in-person and by-appointment services at offices in Poughkeepsie and Mahopac.

Serves as the Enrollment Agency for Legally Exempt Child Care and administers child care subsidy programs in Dutchess and Putnam Counties, supporting access to affordable care.

Registers, monitors, inspects, and investigates complaints for Family Day Care and School Age child care programs in Dutchess and Putnam Counties, ensuring compliance through application processing and ongoing oversight.

Offers free or low-cost training, technical assistance, and quality improvement initiatives to early childhood providers, including infant-toddler specialists and on-site or group training, supported by Quality Improvement grants.

Distributed essential supplies to early childhood educators during the pandemic while maintaining continuous operations of child care services.

Provides reimbursement for nutritious foods served to young children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in New York, along with training on nutrition and menu planning.

Contracts with Departments of Social Services in Albany, Schenectady, and Rensselaer Counties to process family child care and school-age program registration applications, conduct inspections, and investigate complaints.

Provides free child care referrals through Parent Educators who help families identify suitable child care programs based on their needs. Also improves access to quality child care by assisting parents in finding care and supporting child care providers with recruitment, training, and meeting state licensing requirements.

Provides educational tip cards, recipes, social stories, community reports, summer camp resources, and Home and Classroom magazine to support early childhood development and family engagement in areas such as problem-solving, sensory skills, grief, letter recognition, and fine motor skills.