Providing childcare to increase participation in neighborhood events
Abstract
Informed involved individuals are important neighborhood assets. In order to engage citizens from all reaches of the community, it is important to understand that lack of childcare can be a barrier for some. Recruiting and training community members to take on this function helps build healthy systems. Robert Jackson submitted this effective practice in February 2004, using best practices developed from the Wilder Foundation's Vital Neighborhoods Initiative.Issue
Vital neighborhoods are built through strong social networks of informed and involved individuals. For some community members with children, lack of childcare can be an obstacle to meeting others in their community and staying active and informed.Action
Based on the experience of the Wilder Foundation and its Vital Neighborhood Initiative, to create optimal success in including community members with children in neighborhood events, agencies and organizations should implement the following effective practices:
Design Policies and Procedures
Create a staffing plan. How many children will you need to care for? How many childcare workers will you need to care for them? Try to have a ratio of 3 or fewer children per childcare worker. For example, if you have 20 children you will need 6 or 7 childcare providers. How will the childcare workers be supervised? Will you or another staff person be on site, or will you need to select one of the oldest and most experienced childcare workers to be the supervisor?
Create a job description. What will the childcare providers be responsible for doing? Clearly describe your expectations from the moment the childcare workers arrive to when they leave. Things to consider include: arrive on time, never let children leave the room without a childcare worker, no visitors in the room, childcare providers must stay to clean up after the children leave, what payment (if any) the childcare workers will receive. You may want to include a map and directions to the childcare site so that individuals can be sure they have transportation to the site.
Determine hiring procedures. Meet with your agency's human resources manager to learn about appropriate hiring procedures. All people who work with children must submit to a background check. In order to complete the background check, you must get a social security number, current address, and a phone number from each applicant. You must get a parent or guardian signature to run a background check on someone under 18. Keep in mind that a criminal background check for people under 18 may not show prior offenses because the records were sealed or because they were diverted to a restorative justice program. Your agency may also require training for compliance with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). If you plan to pay the childcare workers, be sure to find out about appropriate paperwork. If you pay a small honorarium, you will not be required you to fill out an IRS W-9 form for each worker unless a worker receives more than $600 in one year. Depending on how many applicants you expect, you may want to create a detailed plan for interviewing and selecting individuals to become childcare workers. What skills and experience are you looking for? How will you decide who is right for the job? Will you do individual or group interviews?
Create an emergency plan. What will the childcare workers do to protect the children in the case of an emergency? Make sure a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and the appropriate number of emergency exits are available on site. Distribute the emergency procedures to each worker and also post them in an accessible place on site.
Create necessary materials. You will need a sheet for parents to sign their children in and out of the childcare room. You will need a way to keep track of childcare workers' time so that you can pay them or confirm their community service hours.
Recruit and train neighborhood teens/young adults
Recruit neighborhood teens/young adults. Local teens or other young adults are ideal candidates for providing childcare. Even though they may not be eligible or interested in participating in certain neighborhood events, they can still contribute to a positive society by providing a service that allows others to participate. Try to recruit applicants that reflect the diversity of children they will be caring for. Start with your established contacts, partners, and collaborations. Send a job description to people you know who work with teens and young adults. Ask them to make recommendations or forward the job description to people they think would do a good job. If necessary, cast the net wider and contact a variety of organizations that work with young adults, such as:
- AmeriCorps programs
- Places of worship
- Community service agencies (Rotary, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus)
- College fraternities or sororities with community service requirements
- School civics or health teachers who require community service
If all else fails, place a notice in a local newspaper or ask nonprofit/for-profit agencies to place a notice in their internal newsletters.
Train childcare workers. Once you select individuals and perform the necessary background checks, set up a time to properly train them to provide competent childcare. Depending on your time and the needs of the childcare providers, you may want to do this as a group or through individual meetings. Go over the job description and expectations. Go over the emergency plan, including the location of the fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and emergency exits. Give the childcare workers a tour of the facility and show them how to complete any necessary paperwork such as sign in sheets or time sheets. This is also a chance to include any training required by your agency, such as HIPAA training.
Prepare childcare site
Written materials. Post the emergency plan including contact information for the supervisor (if not on site). Put the sign in sheet and time sheets in an accessible place.
Activities. Provide activities for the children such as toys, games, music, and movies/videos. If you have many children of different ages, you may want to set up separate rooms or play areas for infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and school age children. Make sure you have appropriate activities and equipment for each age group, particularly infants and toddlers who can easily get injured by older kids and their toys.
Snacks. Provide age-appropriate snacks for the children and the childcare workers. To avoid food allergies, be sure to ask parents to approve the snack as they sign in their children.
Context
Wilder Foundation is a health and human services organization that has served the greater Saint Paul, Minnesota area since 1906, operating more than 100 programs and serving people of all ages and backgrounds, with a focus on low-income individuals and families, people needing support during critical times in their lives, and Saint Paul's central neighborhoods and communities.
Wilder Center for Communities (WCC) is a national center for capacity building with deep roots in the local community. The Wilder Center helps its partners develop leaders, build effective organizations, strengthen joint efforts, and revitalize low-income communities. WCC is the capacity building arm of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation of Saint Paul.
WCC was established in 1982 and operates with a mission to build the capacity of leaders and organizations to work together to improve their communities — across Saint Paul, the Twin Cities, the United States, and other regions of the world. WCC provides consultation, training, and other capacity building support to over 300 nonprofit agencies, foundations, and multi-sector organizations or networks each year. WCC also trains 8,000 to 9, 000 leaders in the United States and other regions of the world and publishes capacity-building materials that are used in over 70 countries. WCC has five programs dedicated to this work including Vital Neighborhoods — programs that promote community cohesion and pride, develop knowledge and skills within geographic and cultural communities, and bring together resources so that a community can reach its own established goals. One of its best-known programs, "Weed and Seed," is Frogtown Neighborhood's collaborative effort to reduce crime and increase positive social change.
Outcome
Agencies that recruit and train teens or young adults to provide childcare:- Reduce barriers to participation in neighborhood events for parents who might otherwise not be able to attend
- Develop new community partners and collaborations
Posted On
October 20, 2004For More Information