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2013Annual Report

Promoting Early Learning, Healthy Development

And High Quality Child Care For All Children Through Education,

Advocacy & Support For Families & Early Childhood Professionals

One Step At A Time

Long time Executive Director, Peggy Liuzzi retired and Lori Boles took over leadership responsibility of Child Care Solutions. She oversees a staff of 39 who continue to carry out the same core mission that began in 1975.

2013Child Care Solutions was charged by Office of Children and Family Services (OCSF) to assume the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCC&R) programs in Cayuga County.2009The agency experienced a major transition, moving to a larger location at 6724 Thompson Road and adopt-ing a new name – Child Care Solutions. Both decisions embodied a commitment to the agency’s purpose, our community, and the future of the organization.

2004

2003The Child Care Council became responsible for the regulatory oversight of state-registered family child care homes. The Council also became the lead agency of the state-funded regional Infant Toddler Resource Cen-ter serving Onondaga and 13 neighboring counties.

The Child Care Council became the School-Age Child Care Registrar responsible for the regulatory oversight of state-registered school-age child care programs.

The Council opened its doors in downtown Syracuse in 1976 with a staff of three led by Executive Direc-tor, Mary Lou Rubenstein. The new organization provided coordination and support for child care services through community education, provider training programs, advocacy and, referral services for parents.

Under Executive Directors, Suzanne Vaughn and Beth Rougeux, the Council expanded its services, working with local businesses to help meet employee child care needs and supporting the expansion of school-age child care.

1998

19761980’s

Onondaga County Child Care Council was created as the result of a grassroots campaign to establish an in-dependent, community-based, not-for-profit organization to coordinate and support child care in Onondaga County.1975

CHILD CARE SOLUTIONS

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The Allyn Foundation Central New York Community FoundationLiteracy Coalition of Onondaga CountyM&T Bank New York State Office of Children & Family ServicesNew York State Department of HealthUnited Way of Central New YorkUnited Way of Cayuga County

Peggy Liuzzi Fund DonorsDianne ApterAnne BabicJan BarbieriJerena Barkins Loris BolesRandi BregmanCathy BrodeurJane BrownLora Lee BuchtaCasey Cleary-HammarstedtLaura CummingsDenise DinskiPeter DunnJohn EberleCandace EdwardsSuzanne GalbatoSusan GortonSally HeaterCarla HibbardDeborah HollerAlice HonigLinda KarmenBeth KazelGretchen KinnellLorraine Kinney-KitchenEmilee Lawson-HatchJan LiddellSusan LippkeRocco LiuzziLeslie McDonaldJohn McGrawMichael MelaraLauren MerolaNancy MeunierJudith MichaudDavid MichelMargaret MichelDoug MounceyElizabeth NolanPenny NollMeg O’ConnellCynthia O’ConnorMaryEllen PerryTim RakeBeth RougeuxPeggy RoweJoann SimpsonSusan SmithCynthia SquillaceBarb StepienSue StonecashPeter SwordsPeter SwordsDavid VoegeleJanet WalersteinBarbara Wasil-EspinozaClare WhiteClare WhiteElaine WolfGretchen Kinnell Fund DonorsKathleen LaGrowSue BenjaminJohn BuchtaAmy D’Agostino

2013 Revenue$3,375,659 Total

CACFP Grant $1,350,178Child Care Resource & Referral Grant 800,149Child Care Registration Grant 576,568Infant Toddler 130,763United Way Allocation 107,277County Support 55,791Membership 15,946Eat Well Play Hard Grant 84,986Miscellaneous Grants 17,917Contributions 1,446Training 208,152Special Events 15,739Interest Income 52Other Income 10,695

2013 Expenses$3,428,890 Total

Parent Services $357,648Child Care Registration 585,234Provider Support & Education 922,637CACFP 1,351,091Community Outreach 9,364Management & General Expenses 186,524Fundraising 16,392Total Expenses $3,428,890

Taking the Steps Toward Financial Sustainability...

Katherine DiCosimo Nancy GabrielGail GzikDavid HaaseMargaret LuizziLinda MocciaroCynthia OconnorBeth PastelShari PurcellSusan SmithMargaret (Penny) Noll

Trivia Night SponsorsACCTEKAmeriCUAnonymousAnonymousBousquet & HolsteinCommunity BankDannible & McKeeFirley, Moran, Freer & Eassa, PCFirst Niagara BankJacobs PressJohn McGrawKBM ManagementOlivaToshibaZonta Foudation

Trivia Night Donors 317Alto CincoBC RestaurantBuild A Bear WorkshopBull & BearCafé KubalCantina LaredoChris Berg (AmeriCu)Darwin on ClintonDave & BustersDoubleTreeEmpire BreweryEureka CraftsFrankie’s Picolo BistroFunny Bone Comedy Melting PotMerry Go RoundOptiGolfPastabilitiesPole PositionRecess Coffee HouseRileysRapid Response MonitoringSavvy Wine CellarWegmansWestcott FloristWonderWorks

Special Events & Other & Misc

Training

Eat Well Play Hard

Membership & Contributions

County

United Way

Infant Toddler

Registration

CCR&R

CACFP

Fundraising

Management

Outreach

CACFP

Provider

Registration

Parent

Our funders and donors provide the resources we need to carry out our work. We count on their invaluable support to perform our daily operations and carry out strategic plans. Thanks to our following funders and donors.

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Shannon Gillen, Director Of Operations

2013 Board of Directors

Michele Abdul-SaburLynn Gerrity Ames/ Vice-ChairMary EarlSally HeaterMarisol Hernandez/ 1st Vice ChairGregory A. HinmanTheresa JenkinsEmilee K. Lawson-HatchJan LiddellJohn A. McGraw/ ChairFrank PanzettaStella PenizottoTim Rake/ TreasurerPeggy Rowe/ SecretaryChandra Smith Nancy TehanMelissa WhippsHolly Wright

This past year has been one of transition for Child Care Solutions. We celebrated the well earned retirement of Peggy Liuzzi, who led this organization for 23 years but had been involved with Child Care Solutions in one form or another for essen-tially its entire existence. We are extremely grateful to Peggy

for her years of service to the agency and the children of CNY. Our new Executive Director, Lori Boles comes into the

role brimming with energy, ideas and experiences. Such a transition can cause anxiety in the staff and the constitu-encies served. But rest assured Lori is equal to the task of carrying forward the agency’s mission. We can’t wait to

see just where her ideas and leadership can take us.

The theme of this year’s annual report is “Improving Child Care One Step at a Time.” In this multi-tasking world we shouldn’t lose sight of how real progress is made; step by step. We build on success; re-evaluate our failures; think, recali-brate and take another step. A ‘silver bullet’ is a clever concept – a grand solu-tion that fixes everything in an instant – but seldom does that really work. More often true progress comes from a series of actions building upon one another. Each action moves us closer to the desired outcome. It’s not easy and it’s not quick but in the end the progress made is sustainable. We live in an age of immediate gratification, of small attention spans; everything is on-line and real-time, the constant desire for the ‘new’ and the ‘next’. Child Care Solutions un-derstands the urgency of the needs; that working parents need help now, that the Child Care field needs a voice now, that children need quality care now.

The team at Child Care Solutions is working to meet those needs – right now, but they also have their eyes on the longer vision; the improvements to systems, processes and programs that will build Child Care Solution’s capabilities – step by step – to meet the child care needs of our community for years to come.

John A. McGrawBoard Chair

2013 marks the 38th year since Child Care Solutions was cre-ated to strengthen child care quality and help parents to ac-cess programs that support their children’s healthy develop-ment and learning. For all the good that Child Care Solutions has accomplished during those 38 years, there is so much still to be done.

Access to high quality child care that parents can trust is an issue for families at all economic levels. The quality of child care in our community remains uneven, as it is in most US communities. The range of quality varies from excellent to mediocre to heartbreakingly bad. Some pro-

grams have beautiful space, ample materials and well-trained staff while oth-ers are in poorly maintained facilities with few toys and books and staff who are under-educated and who turn over frequently.

In a rapidly changing world, we must continue to look for best practices that encourage high quality care and children’s success. We know this is impor-tant. There’s a large body of research that documents the impact that early relationships and experiences have on children’s future learning and long-term success. Child Care Solutions offers services that assist families in making appropriate child care arrangements, and services that assist child care pro-viders to deliver high quality care.

As the new Executive Director of Child Care Solutions, I will take appropriate steps to ensure that Child Care Solutions continues to provide the current of-fering of services as well as be prepared to meet the future needs of children, families, and child care professionals in Cayuga and Onondaga Counties.

Lori A. BolesExecutive Director

Mike Ransom, Finance Director

Patrice Robinson, Marketing & Development Director

Patricia Beck, Director Of Professional Development

Beth Henderson, Director Of Registration

Nora Rudewicz, Data Manager

Taking the Steps Toward Financial Sustainability...

Contact Child Care Solutions

Phone: 315-446-1220 888-729-7290

Email: ccs@childcaresolutionscny.org

Web: www.childcaresolutionscny.org

Office: 6724 Thompson Rd. Syracuse, NY 34 Wright Ave. Auburn, NY 13021

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Age ofChildren

Number of Children Number of Children Likely to need care

Under 1 5504 3412

1 and 2 10846 6725

3 and 4 11028 6837

5 5557 3445

6 5705 3708

7 to 9 17645 11469

10 and 11 12334 8017

12 and 13 12264 7971

CAYUGA COUNTY

For information on these statistics please view Child Care Solutions’ A Snapshot of Child Care 2013 available at www.childcaresolutionscny.org.

Children Need High Quality Child Care & Learning So They Can Reach Their Fullest Potential While parents remain children’s earliest and most im-portant teachers, the significance of early care and education services, including both center-based and family-based child care, Head Start/Early Head Start programs, pre-school programs, libraries and other set-tings continues to grow as parents of young children spend more time in the workforce. There is abundant research that shows that early care and education has both short- and long-term benefits for children. - NYS Early Childhood Plan

Child Care Solutions works with the care-givers in our community to ensure they are not only meeting mini-mum regulatory requirements but also providing enrich-ing, stimulating, nurturing, playful and developmentally appropriate environments. We do this work so all of the children in our community have the ability to reach their fullest potential!

Helping Child Care Providers Follow The Steps To Success...

In Onondaga County in 2013 There Were Approximately72 Day Care Centers217 Family Child Cares129 Group Family Child Cares66 School Age Programs

In Cayuga County in 2013 There Were Approximately13 Day Care Centers44 Family Child Cares16 Group Family Child Care s14 School Age Programs

Age ofChildren

Number of Children Number of Children Likely to need care

Under 1 803 498

1 and 2 1695 1051

3 and 4 1764 1094

5 885 549

6 871 540

7 to 9 2807 1740

10 and 11 2014 1249

12 and 13 2046 1269

Total 0-13 12082 7491

There is no job more important than yours,no job anywhere else in the land.You are the keepers of the future:you hold the smallest of hands.Into your care you are trustedto nurture and care for the young,and for all of your everyday heroics,your talents and skills go unsung.

- Author Unknown

Brain research shows that 75% of brain growth1 and 85% of intellect, personality and social skills2 devel-op before children start kindergarten. Developing these cognitive and character skills to their fullest po-tential is critical for future success. That means that

child care providers play an essential role in the development of our childrens’ futures.

There are many high quality child care programs in both Onondaga and Cayuga Counties that

help to develop these cognitive and character skills. Child Care Solutions provides assistance to these programs, whether center- or family-based, so they can maintain and further expand their care giving capabilities. These programs recog-

nize the importance of their work to parents, our community and most importantly the children in their care. They demonstrate the following indi-

cators of high quality child care.

Unfortunately, there are still many child care programs that aren’t providing the kind of care that we know all

children need and deserve. In support of our mission we attempt to elevate these programs through education, as-sistance and intervention so children are afforded the care they need and deserve.

The programs listed on the next page illustrate some of the many ways we attempt to elevate the child care commu-nity in Central New York. The staff at Child Care Solutions strives to create a system where all programs are offering the highest quality care available.

ONONDAGA COUNTY

1 (Schweinhart, Barnes and Weikart, 1993; Campbell, Ramey, Pungello, Sparling and Miller-Johnson, 2002; Reynolds, Temple, Robertson and Mann, 2001; Galinsky, 2006).

Small Group Size & Low Caregiver/Child RatiosStrong Parent/Provider Relationships

Consistent RelationshipsLicensing or Registration

Good Health & Safety PracticesEarly Childhood Training

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Helping Child Care Providers Follow The Steps To Success... Registration In Onondaga County, Child Care Solutions provides program registration and support services for family child care (FDC) and school age programs (SACC). We also inspect for and enforce compliance with NYS regulations for these programs.• 657 Total inspections were completed• 77 Of the total inspections were completed because of complaints• 189 Serious violations were found during inspections• 93 FDC applications were received, 30 became registered• 14 SACC applications were received, 6 became registered

Professional Development Child Care Solutions provides pro-fessional development and training for child care providers grounded in the belief that well trained child care providers increase the quality of child care in the community. We offer professional development in the following forms:

Health & Safety Training This 15-hour Training Series is required by the NYS Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS) to open a family or group family child care program. Training top-ics include providing safe and secure play-spaces for children, preparing for situations such as fires and medical emergencies, responsibilities as a mandated reporter of child abuse, infection control techniques, conducting daily health checks, and keeping accurate health histories.• 7 Health & Safety cohorts were completed reaching 51 students

Eat Well Play Hard Grant Child Care Solutions employes a Registered Dietician who manages Eat Well Play Hard. The program encourages young children and their caregivers to adapt healthy and active lifestyles. It focuses on increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk and dairy products, along with decreasing the amount of time spent at com-puter screens or watching TV. • 4 Eat Well Play Hard cohorts were completed • 26 Child care providers were trained • 13 Assistants were trained• 20 Workshops were conducted• 130 In-home visits were made

Workshops, Webinars, On-Site Training & Online Courses Child Care Solutions offers training to help providers meet their regulatory training requirements and increase the quality of child care. Our partnership with Child Care Aware of America allows us to offer on-line training so today’s busy providers have more training options. • 268 On-site trainings were conducted reaching 2449 students • 11 Classes (Spanish) were taught • 15209 Total hours of training were completed by students• 2170 Providers were trained

Technical Assistance Professional Development Specialists and other team members provide one-on-one consultations using appropriate tools to help assess and improve child care environ-ments. Basic technical assistance (BTA) is provided via phone, email, video confer-ence or in person. Intensive Technical Assistance (ITA) is provided in person for a minimum duration of one hour in length. • 1402 BTA Units & 510.25 ITA Hours Were Provide By Our Parent

Services, Legally Exempt, Provider Services and Professional Development Teams

Medication Administration Training (MAT) Caregivers who ad-minister medications must be trained in Medication Administra-tion Training (MAT). We offer full MAT classes and an indepen-dent study course.• 173 Programs Obtained Training Toward MAT

Certification

Health Care Consulting Child Care Solutions employs a Reg-istered Nurse to assist child care providers in complying with regulations concerning health care plans, administration of medication and care of mildly ill children.• 171 Programs Received Assistance From Our Health Care

Consultant

Infant Toddler Network Child Care Solutions is a regional resource center for this NYS program. We are responsible for coordinating program activities for 14 counties. Activities are aimed at assisting child care programs with training topics specific to infant/toddler development and behavior. Employees also act as a resource for parents with infant/toddler questions & concerns.• 72 Units of Basic Technical Assistance Were Provided • 275 Hours of Intensive Technical Assistance Were Provided• 103 Training Hours Were Conducted Statistics being reported are based on fiscal year 2013

Two proud students receive their CDA from Child Care Solutions. The Child Develop-ment Associate (CDA) is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood

education (ECE) and is a stepping-stone on the path of career ad-

vancement in Early Childhood Education. Child Care So-

lution’s CDA Program is a unique combination of training and men-toring. This dual ap-proach supports the CDA candidate in suc-cessfully completing their credential while focusing on quality im-

provement within their program. In 2013 Child

Care Solutions offered:

4 CDA Classes (English)51 Students

1 CDA Class (Spanish) 14 Students

Alexa, Chase & Hayden are shown with their child care provider Sharon Nuffer, who

participates in the Child & Adult Food Care Program (CACFP). Together

they planted and tended to a vegetable garden that cost

under $20 to plant. The vegetables became part of the meals that Sharon serves to the children in her care. CACFP allows child care providers to serve healthy meals and snacks to the children in care. Thanks

Sharon for setting a great example for the

children in her care and other child care providers.

2472 CACFP Claims Processed By Child Care Solutions

7 CACFP Training Classes (English) 138 Students

1 CACFP Training Class (Spanish) 12 Students

CDA

CACFP

Provider Programs

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Safety and cost are the top two concerns most parents have when choosing child care. These should be their top concerns, but they also need to know that the child care they choose has lasting effects on the social, emotional, intellectual and physical well being of their children. Our Parent Service Team makes sure that parents who use our services are educated about child care in our commu-nity. Through phone, on-line, or in-person consultations we help parents follow the steps to finding high quality child care.

• We help parents evaluate child care options.• We teach parents about the types of care available in our area.• We educate parents about what high quality child care really looks

like.• We provide referrals to regulated child care providers.• We provide parenting help & resources through our website &

newsletter.• We provide referrals and education to Spanish speakers.

In 2013 The Child Care Solutions Parent Services Team Processed The Following Requests For Care

Requests for Care by Age of Child Under One 620One 468Two 4243 & 4 694Five 224Six and up 623No Data 1994 Requests for Care by Schedule Full-Time 4497Part-Time 183Both 214Evening 154Overnight 23Weekend 140 Requests by Modality Center 2814Family Child Care 3027Group Family Child Care 3016School Age Child Care 571

The Average Cost Of Child Care Is More Than SUNY Tuition For Many Families. Helping Parents Find Ways To Afford Child Care Is A Top Priority For Our Parent Services Team.

Infant (6 weeks-18 mos)

Toddler(19-35 mos)

Pre-School(3-5 yrs)

School Age (5-12 yrs)

Cayuga $137 $131 $132 $120

Onondaga $160 $152 $149 $139

Average Weekly Full Time Cost Family Child Care

Infant (6 wks-18 mos)

Toddler(19-35 mos)

Pre-School(3-5 yrs)

School Age (5-12 yrs)

Cayuga $188 $180 $156 $136

Onondaga $224 $209 $192 $165

Average Weekly Full Time Cost Child Care Center

Helping Parents Follow The Steps To Finding High Quality Child Care...

“More parents than ever are balancing work and raising children. When I was growing up, just over one-third of mothers with young children worked outside the home. Today, it’s nearly two-thirds.

- Senator Kirstin Gillibrand

“Don’t think I would have found care without you” - A. Ibrahim

“Keep up the great customer service!” - J. Bodden

“If I could write down "10" for the service, I’d do it.” - E. Recchia

“Worker went above & beyond to help find what I wanted for my children.” - T. Hill “Keep doing the work you do. I found it to be a great help & recommend it for other mothers.” - E. Ortiz-Perez

“Got so much good information” - L. Harris

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Helping Parents Follow The Steps To Finding High Quality Child Care... Stepping Up Our Advocacy & Partnering Efforts...Child care and early learning in our community, state and country is not equal for all of our young-est citizens. Child Care Solutions works every day to promote early learning, healthy development & high quality child care for ALL CHILDREN through education, advocacy & support for families & early childhood professionals.

2013 was a year of exciting developments for early care and learning in Central New York. Child Care Solutions and our community partners were instrumental in bringing the issue to the forefront of community thought.

In February, along with our partners at Success by Six and the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County, we gathered business, legislative, education and other community leaders for a policy breakfast that featured Bill Millet. Bill’s presentation brought home the necessity of creating an early care and learning system that facilitates economic sustainability, competitiveness, and growth for the Central New York Region. This presentation created a spark of discussion amongst attendees leaving them with a new understanding of the importance of advocating for high quality early care and learning based on more than “It’s the right thing to do for kids.” We have economic data and arguments that compel our business & community leaders to take action on this issue and set the right course for Central New York’s future.

Spring took us to Washington, D.C. to discuss the important role quality and affordability play in early care and education. Along with other child care resource and referral agencies from across the country, we compelled our leaders to understand the struggles that many families face when paying for child care. Approximately 50,000 children in Onondaga County and over 7,000 in Cayuga County are in some form of child care. The type of programs these children spend their time in has been proven to affect their future well-being and productivity. Decades of scientific research and findings point to this conclusion: healthy development and learning in the early years provide the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, good citizenship and the ability to successfully parent the next generation. Ensuring that high quality care is affordable, and available for families is critical to not only today’s workforce but also the workforce of the future.

In June we gathered forces with our friends and partners at ACTS, Early Education Task Force, the Syracuse City Schools and the Salvation Army Head Start Program to show support for President Obama’s Early Education Plan. This joint press conference was just one of the many forums where we implored our legislators to support early care and education.

In October The Women’s Fund of CNY partnered with us to present a business training conference for family child care providers. Professionals from the banking, insurance and child care industries shared their expertise to help our providers grow and sustain their businesses.

Throughout the year we were busy tweeting, facebooking and pinning about policy and advocacy issues important to the child care system. Child Care Solutions has embraced the exponential power of social media to raise awareness about and involvement in issues relevant to the early care and learning field. Statewide implementation of Universal Pre-K, re-authorization of the Child Care & Development Block Grant and adoption of Quality Stars NY were just a few of the issues we utilized social media to promote.

The Onondaga Literacy Coalition & M& T Bank continued their partnership with Child Care Solutions allowing us to expand and grow our bottomless book bag program where books are provided and skills are taught to child care providers. The Bottomless Book Bag provides providers the tools and competencies necessary to increase literacy and promote healthy social & emotional development.

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Current Resident Or:

Adopt an Early Care & Education Program

Become An Advocate For Early Care & Learning

Support Literacy ProgramsLike The Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Support Early Care & Education Providers & Teachers Through Scholarship Funding

Educate & Support Parents About The Importance of the First 5 Years of Life.

Support Child Care Solutions6

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6 STEPS TO HELP CREATE A HIGH QUALITY CHILD CARE SYSTEM IN CENTRAL NEW YORK

Contact Child Care Solutions

Phone: 315-446-1220 888-729-7290Email: ccs@childcaresolutionscny.orgWeb: www.childcaresolutionscny.orgOffice: 6724 Thompson Rd. Syracuse, NY 13211

Syracuse, NY34 Wright Ave. Auburn, NY 13021

Child Care Solutions6724 Thompson Rd.Syracuse, NY 13211