We hope you’ll be joining us for our annual spring training conference! The 2018 Seanna M. Donley Growing Together Conference, Focus on Families: Considerations for Caregivers will take place at Cayuga Community College on Sunday, March 4th, 2018. For only $35, earn up to 4.5 hours of OCFS training hours, enjoy a networking lunch, and a door prize raffle! For workshop descriptions and registration information, visit our website. The deadline to register for this conference is Friday, March 2nd – don’t miss out on this great training opportunity!

Child Care Solutions is conducting a parent survey about childcare in Cayuga and Onondaga Counties. We are looking for parents who have children (ages 0-12) currently in child care, who are looking for child care, or those who have used child care in the past to complete the survey. The information we gather will help us to improve our services to families in our area and across New York State. All survey participants who enter a valid email or telephone number will be entered to win a $100.00 Visa gift certificate. Surveys must be completed by March 31, 2018. Please help us spread the word to parents! You can print out these handy palm cards to pass out at your program, or direct parents to visit our website, where they can access both online and PDF versions of the survey.

Families in Cayuga County need quality child care options! We will be holding our First Step to Family Child Care workshop at our Auburn office on Wednesday, March 14th, 2018. This FREE workshop will go over everything an individual needs to know about opening a home day care business in NY, including current funding that is available to help Cayuga County residents with start-up costs. If you know someone who has been considering opening a home day care, please pass along this informational flyer! Pre-registration for the workshop is required, visit our website to sign up online or give us a call at (315) 446-1220.

Discover the many benefits of adding vegetables and fruits to the meals you serve the children in your program! They are low in fat and calories while providing fiber and other key nutrients. Vegetables and fruits don’t just add nutrition to meals. They can also add color, flavor, and texture. Download this guide which shows 10 creative ways to bring these healthy foods to your program’s table. Don’t forget, you can get reimbursed for serving healthy snacks and meals to the children in your care by joining the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Learn more about the program on our website or get started on the program today by giving us a call at (315) 446-1220.

Our popular CDA course is now available in Auburn! The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is a nationally recognized credential in the early childhood education field and is a stepping stone on the path of career advancement for family child care providers, center-based or school setting staff. Whether you’re just beginning your career or an established provider looking to grow your program, we offer a six-month CDA course that will give you the confidence and motivation to advance your career as an early childhood educator. The Auburn CDA session begins Tuesday, March 20th, 2018 – visit our website for all of the details and to download the registration packet.

Don’t miss the great workshops we have coming up in March! Learn how to create prop boxes in Prop Box Fun (3/12) or address OCFS regulations using “real life” scenarios in SACC Regulations (3/28). Financial assistance for ANY of our workshops is now available through CSEA/Voice – learn more here. Complete workshop descriptions (including fees) and online registration are available through our training calendar.

If you own or rent a property in Onondaga County built before 1978 you may be eligible for a grant to remove lead. For specific program requirements and application packet visit http://www.ongov.net/cd/leadReduction.html for more information or call the Onondaga County Community Development Dept. at (315) 435-3558.