I am amazed by the crazy weather patterns we have had this summer: sizzling to drizzling! Hope the time has been good for you and your children. I am beginning to hear the rustling of fall: lawns becoming brown, fire haze in the air, school supplies and clothes are part of conversations… it’s time to get ready! We have two new programs commencing this year.

First, we have a new Family Child Care & Education Network that started in July. This is an enhanced child care network that provides more specialized services. Our staff trains and assists these providers in environmental ratings of their centers to assure that children have age appropriate activities and are situated in homes that enhance their social, cognitive, and emotional learning skills. Our network staff also assists with developmental profiles of the children in these homes so parents and the providers recognize a child’s educational and emotional development. The contact person for the new network is Kathleen Smith @ 464.8311 X 27.

Our second new program is the Centralized Eligibility List (CEL), which is a tool that parents can use to determine the type of child care they need and are eligible for. It can be accessed via our website (dnccc.com) and is pretty user friendly. Check it out! The contact person for the new CEL is Maggie Nunneley @ 464.8311 X 19.

Providers - Just a reminder that school will be starting and parents will be looking for child care! Providers’ business cards and information should be up-to-date and inviting. There is a bulletin board in our lobby for posting information. If you need any of the required forms check with Valerie at the front desk. Don’t forget to post all of your training certificates in a place where parents will see them. The Local Child Care Planning Council is finalizing an Economic Impact Study of Child Care in Del Norte County. I have seen the final draft and it is very interesting. DN child care industry grossed just under $8 M in 2004 and employed 268 people! It provided almost $6 M in direct services (child care) in the same year. We all knew that child care was a hidden industry but now we will know our financial impact! The final report will be published and distributed by the Planning Council sometime this fall and copies will be available at the DNCCC.

The DNCCC board will be hosting a few fun events this quarter. On Thursday September 14th we will be co-hosting a Chamber Mixer with 6 Degrees of Celebration (a party & events business located in Ben Franklin). Look for us in the big white tent near 3rd Street. Our 3rd Annual Chills for Children will be held on October 28th at the Cultural Center. This is a fundraiser for the Council and is for adults only. We will have lots of prizes and raffles, music and no-host refreshments for a fun evening. Costumes are very much encouraged! (I completely fooled everyone last year!) More information inside this newsletter.