Mother's Day is May 9. I want to take this opportunity to wish all mother's a "Happy Mother's Day." Raising children is not easy, and much of your work goes unnoticed. I recently saw a mini-poster which read, "Mother's are not paid for their work, because it is priceless." Thank you, mothers, for all your hard work and dedication!

All families need help at times in caring for their children. Whether they be relatives, friends, or professionals, child care providers play a key role in helping families by working long hours with little financial compensation or recognition. For this reason, child care organizations nationwide have joined together to declare Friday, May 7, to be Provider Appreciation Day^TM to honor child care providers for their hard work and dedication to our children. By calling attention to the importance of high quality child care services for all children and families, these groups hope to improve the quality and availability of such services.

Recent statistics estimate that of the 21 million children under age 6 in America, 13 million are in child care at least part-time. An additional 24 million school-age children are in some form of child care outside of time in school.

It takes a special person to work as a child care provider. If you are a parent with children in child care, tell your child care provider how much you appreciate them!

In April, I challenged you to "Make the critical early years the best they can be for all children!" I hope that some of you had the opportunity to attend the "Week of the Young Child" festivities at Lincoln Square. If so, you saw first-hand that we are very fortunate in Champaign County to have many organizations that are truly committed to children's development and learning. Champaign County Extension works with agencies throughout the county to develop programs. Some of these agencies include:

Child Care Resource Service

The Child Care Resource Service (CCRS) is a program of the University of Illinois School of Human and Community Development and the Extension Service. CCRS has served parents, childcare providers, and employers in local communities since April, 1985. CCRS maintains a current database on more that 1,200 licensed and license-exempt center and family childcare services in Champaign, Douglas, Iroquois, Macon, Piatt, and Vermilion counties in East Central Illinois. CCRS staff make referrals, (not recommendations), for parents to research based on their needs and preference for type of care, location, hours, costs, program goals, availability of transportation, and presence of a smoker and/or pets. Parents are charged a small fee on a sliding scale basis to use the service for a year.

The State of Illinois Child Care Financial Assistance program is also the responsibility of the Child Care Resource Service. CCRS staff explains available options to parents who are in need of assistance in paying for childcare, and processes all the paperwork for the state.

CCRS also assists in upgrading the quality of childcare available by providing training workshops and resource materials to providers listed with the service. For more information about CCRS, call 333-3252 or 1-800-325-5516. Call the childcare subsidy unit at 244-6188 or 1-800-379-7406.

East Central Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children

East Central Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children (ECIAEYC) is the local affiliate group serving Champaign and Vermilion counties for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. (NAEYC), a growing national organization with over 100,000 members in support of young children from ages birth through eight. The East Central affiliate group is the co-sponsor of the annual Young Learner conference at Parkland College and the local Director's Day Workshops for child care center directors. In addition, they sponsor the Festival for Young Children and the Friend of the Young Children's Award ceremony. For more information about joining the organization, contact Tracey Sopp at 809 W. Kirby, Champaign, IL 61820.

Birth to Five Council

The Birth to Five Council was formed in the fall of 1986 under the name of the Pre-school Interagency Planning Council. Its formation was stimulated by a Children's Services grant at the Developmental Services Center, which mandated a local planning council for birth to five services for children who were developmentally delayed. After thirteen years of operation, the council is committed to creating a comprehensive and coordinated network of resources for children, with a special focus on young children with special needs and their families. The Birth to Five Council has published the Family Community Resource Directory, a guidebook that lists general and specialized early childhood programs, service providers, and support groups in Champaign County. For more information, call 333-4123.

The Champaign County Family Day Care Network

The Champaign County Family Day Care Network is a program of the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission that began in September, 1997. The Network, in partnership with Parkland College, Provena Covenant Hospital, Carle Hospital, and Head Start, works with family child care providers to improve their professional skills and the quality of care they provide.

The Network has a lending library for family child care providers and an incentive program that allows providers to earn toys, books, and equipment, such as high chairs, cribs, and strollers, by participating in training. The network also has start-up grants and quality enhancement grants that are awarded on the basis of applications. For more information about the Family Day Care Network, contact Lynn Watson at 328-3313.

For more information on other professional child care organizations, call:

The Champaign County Family Child Care Association
Support group for family child care providers. Call Jackie at 359-6375 or Jennifer at 398-4092.

The Champaign County Child Care Association
Support group for child care center directors. Call Karen Brunning at 373-3777.