The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services has awarded a contract to Children & Families First to provide quality improvement technical assistance strategies and grant resources to licensed child care programs to increase the supply of child care in areas where it is limited. The Capacity Grant awards are intended to provide resources that will enhance the quality of care in programs, and build the supply of child care that are in limited supply in one or all of the following areas:

• Children who need care during non-traditional hours (defined as care needed a minimum of one hour prior to 7:00 a.m., until a minimum of one hour after 6:00 p.m., and/or care needed on weekends);
• Children who are English language learners;
• Children with special needs (defined as children with IEPs and/or IFSPs); and
• Infants and toddlers (defined as birth up to 36 months).

The project will seek to expand or enhance care that is safe, healthy, and appropriate, with an emphasis on serving low-income children in high-needs areas. High-needs areas are identified as follows: Wilmington river area, Center City Wilmington, Western Wilmington, Southern Kent County, Southern Dover, Georgetown area, Northern, Western and Eastern Sussex County. Grant awards will include, but are not limited to purchasing educational materials,  funding to support quality assured professional development, to purchase classroom furnishings or acquire services that will improve efficiency in operations. Funding is not intended to be used to pay for construction or renovations.

CLICK HERE for the Capacity Grant Application. The next 2015 Capacity Grant Application Deadline Date is November 17, 2015. The deadline for the 2016 Capacity Grant Application is January 12, 2016. Please check the website periodically for future application deadlines.

 

Food: it's a necessity for survival, yet something many of us take for granted. But babies and toddlers can't take it for granted, because nourishing food is a fundamental building block of healthy development.  When young children don't get good nutrition, they don't learn as fast or as well and are more likely to become sick. All of this makes access to healthy food a vitally important factor as Congress takes up child nutrition legislation that can affect young children and their futures.

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is shining a light on the issue with The Access to Healthy Food for Young Children Act of 2015 (S. 1833),  a bill that would give more children in child care and afterschool programs access to healthy meals and snacks through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The bill would help increase reimbursements for programs, so they could afford healthier food and provide additional meals for children who spend long hours in child care.

CACFP currently helps boost the nutrition of 3.8 million children in child care centers and family child care homes in every state, but so far the bill has only eight co-sponsors. The Senate may take up comprehensive child nutrition legislation this week. Senator Casey needs a show of support from his colleagues to make sure his bill is included.

Here's what you can do: Act today and call, email, Tweet, or Facebook Senators Carper and Coons to ask them to cosponsor Senator Casey's CACFP bill.  It's time for Congress to ensure that young children in child care receive a nutritious diet and learn good eating habits through nutrition education. Because when babies succeed, we create stronger families, productive communities, and a healthy workforce and economy.  CLICK HERE for full details on how to get involved!