The tragic death of a 3-month-old boy at an illegal unlicensed day care center in New York City this week1 underscores the importance of licensed child care providers to the safety of children.
In Connecticut, 2-1-1 Child Care is the free, confidential statewide service that helps parents find licensed child care providers and programs. Experienced child care referral specialists are available to discuss child care options with parents from 8:00AM to 5:00PM Monday through Friday, and can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 and following the prompts or direct dial at 1-800-505-1000.
The 2-1-1 Child Care website at www.211childcare.org features a map-based search engine that shows exactly where licensed child care programs are located in relation to home, work, or any other location such as an elementary school. The search results can be filtered using a variety of criteria including type of program, quality indicators, days/hours of operation, special needs experience, and financial assistance.
2-1-1 Child Care also provides resources and assistance to early care professionals, who can receive information about licensing requirements, accreditation, First Aid training, CPR certification, and more. All State of Connecticut licensed providers (home-based, center-based, and summer camps) are listed in the 2-1-1 Child Care database at no charge.
In 2014, 2-1-1 Child Care referral specialists handled over 10,000 calls and chat-based requests for assistance with finding licensed child care, and the 2-1-1 Child Care website received more than 128,000 visits. 2-1-1 Child Care also facilitated Provider Orientation trainings to 3,000 licensed home day care providers in the past year.
2-1-1 Child Care is Administered by United Way of Connecticut and supported by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood.