As I write this article for our quarterly newsletter, I reflected on the last two prior commentaries I made. They expressed concerns for our child care providers, our client families, our staff all due to a new Governor and his administration. Last year at this time the agency office staff took the step of cutting back their hours for the first quarter of the year in order to be ready for the over all year cutbacks.

We went back to full time in October when the State Budget was finalized and we had time to prepare budgets that reduced costs and some services. This year the general prediction is that the budget will be passed by July AND there will be hits on the child care community. Family fees are proposed to be increased, provider reimbursements will be reduced, 11 & 12 year olds will eliminated from subsidies and time limits on Stage 3 subsidies are all being discussed right now in Sacramento. The Women’s Caucus (bi-partisan representatives) has declared child care as their highest priority. Our Assemblymember Patty Berg and our State Senator Sam Aanestad need to hear from Del Norte families utilizing child care subsidies – please write in your own words about what the impact of the reductions mentioned above will be on your ability to work, get re-educated and your child care business. Politicians expect feedback from agencies like ours but they listen to their constituents! (Handwritten letters get more attention than form or e-mail messages. Their addresses are Assemblymember Patty Berg, State Capitol, Room 2137 and Senator Sam Aanestad, State Capitol, Room 5061 , Sacramento, CA, 95814).

We will be running a School Age Summer Program at Glenn Street Hollow again. Space gets limited the closer we get to the end of the school year – please call Kim at 464-7412 for information. The Hansell Child Development Center will also be open for the summer. This is our preschool center on the CR campus and available to non-students. For more information on the center call Kathleen at 464-4174. Hansell Center subsidies are available and the contact is our main office at 464-8311.

My prior commentaries also were a reminder to celebrate your children! Summer is a great time for families to re-connect, get grounded and rejuvenate themselves. We live in one of the healthiest, cleanest, most beautiful places on earth! And for the most part getting out to enjoy it is free. I recently learned that childhood obesity is becoming a major problem – nation wide, one of every four preschoolers is entering Kindergarten as a diabetic. Del Norte children are also at risk and fresh air, exercise and homegrown veggies will protect our children from this serious disease.

Our community owes our youngest members a safe, healthy and nurturing environment and the first responders are their parents and child care providers.