Applications due Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Research has explicitly drawn the link between the quality of children's experience in child care and the compensation, stability and training of their teachers. Improved services for young children require better compensation and lower turnover in the child care workforce, which typically earns poverty-level wages.

The acronym CARES stands for "Compensation And Retention Encourage Stability." It's a program which awards stipends of up to $2,500 to family child care and center-based providers to encourage them to stay in the field, and therefore, provide consistent, quality child care. Stipends are awarded according to the level of education/training each provider has received.

We are proud to announce that the CARES stipends have been awarded for seven years in Mendocino County. Now in the seventh year, the CARES Program is still going strong. Each year since 2001, approximately $200,000 has been awarded to 150 providers throughout Mendocino County.

Funding for the CARES 2008 program is again sponsored by FIRST 5 Mendocino, First 5 California (Prop 10), in collaboration with the Mendocino County Child Care Planning Council and California Department of Education funding.

CARES 2008: New requirements and forms below (please note, all forms are in PDF format):

2008 CARES Brochure

2008 Self-Evaluation Tool Confirmation

2008 ASQ-SE Form

English Consent Form

Spanish Consent Form

2008 Public Policy & Advocacy Form

2008 Track Breakdowns

Available Professional Growth Advisors 2008

FFN Applicants

2008 English FFN Flyer

2008 Spanish FFN Flyer

FNN Application 2008 - English

FFN Application 2008 - Spanish

FFN Track Breakdown 2008 - English

FFN Track Breakdown 2008 - Spanish