What Is a Family Child Care Association?
Location: TAHA is an organization dedicated to the care of children. It is located in Urbana, IL. They are also affiliated with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Plastic Surgery (ACAPS). Both of these associations work towards promoting children’s health and helping them reach their maximum potential. As the nation’s second largest child-care association, the Professional Family Child Care Association (PFCCA) strives to support families in providing high quality child care.
FOCUS: The PFCA actively supports the professional development of its members. At its annual conference, LCCA members will be able to participate in a series of workshops that will be focused on new strategies for family child care. During this conference, all areas of medical specialties are represented by attending professionals. Special programs for families with young children are also offered at this time.
INVESTMENT: This year’s conference is planned to address a variety of areas such as Early Childhood Development. There will also be a portion of the budget devoted to examining the importance of family child care programs. The association is also looking into adding new programs that will expand on the current ones. These may include evaluating existing family child care programs to ensure they are meeting the goals of the association.
OUT-OF-School Time: The PFCA welcomes any member who is experiencing homeless or at-risk children during the course of their school years. This year’s conference will also examine how to make these children more successful in later stages of life. One area that can be explored at the conference is how to increase access to after-school education opportunities for families experiencing homelessness. Another idea is for providers to explore funding sources to improve this type of program. There has been significant success when providers agree to work with school districts and community organizations to help students gain access to after-school education programs.
COVETMENT & EDUCATION: One challenge that providers in this industry face is how to maintain consistent access to licensed child care programs and qualified and experienced licensed child care providers during the summer months. Many programs and facilities experience a lull in activity during the summer months. This lull is a problem because it leaves many children feeling centered and isolated. Summer learning centers and other institutions of learning experience a higher influx of participants during the summer months. Providers must find a way to keep the enrollment numbers high while providing quality, effective and attractive summer learning environments for those students.
Recent news stories have brought awareness to the issue of child development disabilities. Coverage of the Rockville Maryland Community Development Board’s efforts to launch the “First Steps for a Healthy Future” project highlights the importance of this issue in today’s society. Providers are urged to look for programs and facilities that support early childhood development and education. For providers there is also a need for programs and facilities which provide services which will address the needs of diverse families experiencing challenges. Providers should work closely with local administrators and county and state child development regulators to find the right match for their families.