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One Bergen County Plaza, 2nd
Floor
Hackensack , NJ 07601
Phone: 201-336-7150
Fax: 201-336-7155
ofc@co.bergen.nj.us
Phyllis A. Strohmeyer, Director
Attention Child Care Providers
- link to NJDEP guidance on radon testing for
child care centers njradon.org/scl_day.htm
LINK MENU:
Resources,
Referrals | Financial Assistance
| Becoming a Registered Provider
| Professional Development
| Operation Child Care |
Starting a Program
MISSION
The mission of the Bergen County Office for
Children is to strengthen and coordinate child
care services for families and child care providers,
focusing on the availability, affordability, and
quality of early care and education.
CHILD
CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRALS
"doing
whatever it takes to make child care work for
families and communities"
FINDING CHILD CARE
Choosing child care is one of the most important
decisions families make. Finding quality child
care takes time and effort. We can help! For free,
confidential child care information and referrals:
- Search
our on-line database
- Visit the Office for Children at One Bergen
County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack, or
- Call us at (201) 336-7150
The Office for Children is open Monday through
Friday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. The on-line database
is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Office for Children:
- Assists families in assessing their child
care needs
- Describes child care options
- Provides counseling to families on the importance
of quality early childhood programs and how
to choose a provider
- Provides free referrals to child care programs
in Bergen County
The Office for Children provides referrals for
regulated child care options and does not endorse
or recommend any individual child care program
or family child care provider.
Do you have concerns or a complaint
about a child care provider? If you are unable
to resolve the issue with the provider, and wish
to file a complaint about a child care program,
call the DYFS Office of Licensing at (609) 987-2027
(for child care centers) or the Office for Children
at (201) 336-7150 (for family child care.) If
you have concerns about services provided by the
Bergen County Office for Children, contact Phyllis
Strohmeyer by phone at 201 336-7150, via e-mail:
ofc@co.bergen.nj.us, or in writing to Bergen County
Office for Children, One Bergen County Plaza,
2nd Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601.
REFERRALS AVAILABLE
FOR…
Registered Family
Child Care - New Jersey regulations limit
home-based child care to no more than five children
plus a maximum of three children who live in the
home. Family child care providers may choose to
apply for a Certificate of Registration from the
sponsoring organization serving their community,
which in Bergen County is the Office for Children.
Child Care Centers
- A facility that cares for six or more children
under the age of 13 must be licensed by the New
Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services,
Office of Licensing. Child care centers are licensed
to care for a specific number of children and
specific ages, birth through thirteen. Care may
be full or part-time. After school care and holiday/vacation
care may be offered for school age children. Child
care centers include specialized programs such
as:
- Nursery Schools
or Preschools Part-time or full-time
programs for socialization and education.
- Cooperative Programs (Parent
Co-ops) Parents are asked to regularly participate
in the classroom in exchange for a lower rate.
- Head Start
A tuition-free preschool program offered
for 3 and 4 year olds from low income families
(as defined by the federal government). The
program offers meals, developmental experiences,
health screenings, and may provide transportation.
- Drop-In Programs
Children are accepted as care is needed. Advance
notice and registration are usually required.
(If the parent remains in the same building,
a drop in program is not required to be licensed.)
- School Age
Programs School age
programs serve children during out of school
time hours – before and after the school
day. Some programs operate on school holidays
and during the summer. Many are located in schools
but school age care is also available in many
child care centers, family child care homes,,
and community programs such as Boys and Girls
clubs. School based programs may be operated
by the school or by an outside agency. Programs
operated by a school do not have to be licensed.
FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT REQUIIRED VACCINATIONS
FOR CHILDREN ATTENDING LICENSED PRESCHOOLS AND
CHILD CARE CENTERS, CLICK
HERE.
Some types of care do not have state oversight,
such as a caregiver coming to your home, care
in someone else’s home who is not a registered
family child care provider, Mom/Tot story hours,
playgroups, and drop in programs where parents
remain in the building. While referrals are not
available for these types of care, the guidelines
that follow may be helpful when choosing any type
of care.
CHOOSING CHILD CARE...Visit providers
and look for the key indicators of quality before
making your choice
Does the child care provider...
- Seem to be liked by the children in his/her
care?
- Show warmth and friendliness to your child
and the other children?
- Seem to be someone with whom your child will
be happy?
- Make eye contact when speaking with children,
and engage in conversation with an individual
child?
- Respect your family's culture and background?
- Share your values and attitudes about child
rearing?
- Appear to be in good health?
- Allow visiting anytime? Licensing regulations
state that parents of enrolled children may
visit any time during operating hours to observe
program activities. No appointment is necessary.
Parents who are looking for child care and want
to observe must be permitted to observe the
operation and program activities, but may need
to schedule the visit in advance.
- Have policies for medical situations and
emergencies? Programs should have well thought
out written plans for dealing with emergencies.
Fire drills should be held monthly. Caregivers
should have training in first aid and CPR.
- Require that children be properly immunized?
Licensing regulations require documentation
of immunization status.
- Have consistent staff with the children from
day to day? It's best for children to be with
the same caregiver consistently. Getting used
to new caregivers can be stressful for children.
Is the environment...
- Clean, safe, free of health hazards and attractive?
Medication and toxic substances like cleaning
supplies must be kept out of children’s
reach. Look carefully for possible hazards such
as peeling paint, loose carpeting, evidence
of water leakage, uncovered electrical outlets.
- Large enough and adequately equipped for
children to rest, eat and play?
- Equipped with sufficient heat/cooling, light,
ventilation?
Does the program offer...
- Low staff/child ratios and small group sizes?
Find out how many children there are for each
adult and how many children in a group. Smaller
groups and fewer children for each adult are
better for children to get the attention they
need. The younger the child, the more important
this is. Babies need an adult to child ration
of no more than one adult to four infants, while
one adult for ten children is acceptable for
four year olds.
- Safe and appropriate material that will be
stimulating and entertaining?
- A variety of hands-on activities?
- Opportunities for children to explore, discover,
and learn through play?
- Regular opportunities for outdoor play and
field trips to nearby places of interest?
- A balance between active play and quiet time?
- Encouragement and modeling of good health
habits and social skills? For example, do children
and adults wash their hands often, especially
before and after eating, and after using the
bathroom or changing diapers?
- Nutritious meals and snacks? Find out if
you will be responsible to provide your child's
food, and if so, how the food will be stored
and reheated. If the program provides the food,
ask to see sample menus.
- Policies and expectations in writing?
- Fees and hours that meet your needs?
Did you discuss...
- Your schedule with the provider?
- Your child's individual needs? Each child
is unique and caregivers should adapt their
approach to meet your child's needs. Let the
caregiver know what your child's personal style
is (for example, how she deals with new situations,
if she's generally quiet or active, if he is
shy around strangers or enjoys approaching new
people.) Is the staff interested in your family's
culture and is there staff who speak your home
language? Talk openly with the staff about any
special needs your child may have that will
require any special accommodations.
- Any allergies your child may have to food,
medicine, insect bites, animals, etc.?
- Handling of emergencies and who to contact?
Your provider needs to know how to reach you
in an emergency and who to contact if you cannot
be reached.
- Provider's education and experience with
children? Caregivers with training in working
with children will be better able to help your
child learn. Even experienced caregivers should
be involved in activities, such as attending
workshops, to improve their skills.
For more information about choosing quality
child care, visit these websites:
IS YOUR CHILD READY TO STAY HOME ALONE?
The laws in New Jersey do not specify an age
when a child is considered old enough to stay
home alone. Parents must make an individual decision
based on many factors.Click here
for guidelines and things to consider in making
this difficult decision..
FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE TO PAY FOR CHILD CARE
For many families, paying for child care is a
challenge. You may be eligible for financial assistance
through child care subsidies, tax credits, or
an employer assistance program.
NEW JERSEY CARES FOR KIDS (NJCK)
subsidizes child care costs for low and moderate
income families. For eligibility guidelines for
NJCK, visit the NJ
Department of Human Services website. In Bergen
County, the NJCK child care subsidy program is
administered by the Office for Children. If you
are interested in learning more about NJCK, please
click here.
WORK FIRST NEW JERSEY (WFNJ)
participants are eligible for child care subsidy
assistance if they need child care to work, look
for work, or participate in an approved work activity.
Transitional Child Care benefits may be provided
for up to two years when a WFNJ participant gets
a job and is no longer receiving cash assistance
through the WNFJ program. In Bergen County, the
WFNJ child care subsidy program is administered
through the Office for Children. Eligibility for
WFNJ benefits is determined by the Bergen County
Board of Social Services. For information about
WFNJ eligibility and how to apply, visit their
website.
CONTRACTED CHILD CARE CENTERS
have contracts directly with the state of New
Jersey to provide subsidized slots in their center
to serve families who are eligible for child care
subsidy assistance. For information about contracted
child care centers in Bergen County, call the
Office for Children at (201) 336-7150.
EARNED INCOME
TAX CREDITS. Families in New Jersey may
be eligible for both federal and state Earned
Income Tax Credits. These credits reduce the amount
of tax owed for eligible low income workers and
may provide a refund, even if the person has no
tax liability. Visit the NJ
EITC website for more information.Visit the
federal
EITC website for more information.
FEDERAL CHILD AND DEPENDENT CARE CREDITS.
You may be eligible for these tax benefits that
can help you pay for child care and other expenses.
Visit the National
Women’s Law Center website for more
information.
EMPLOYER ASSISTANCE
AND FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS
Ask your employer if a flexible spending account
is offered or if other benefits are offered to
assist with child care expenses. With a flexible
spending account, child care expenses are paid
with “before tax” earnings. Visit
the National
Women's Law Center website for more detailed
information about flexible spending accounts.
KINSHIP NAVIGATOR
Kinship caregivers may be eligible to receive
a variety of support services and financial aid
(including child care subsidy) through the NJ
Kinship Navigator Program. Kinship caregivers
are special people who have taken on the responsibility
of caring for their relatives’ children
– these children might be the caregiver's
siblings, nieces, nephews, or, most often, their
grandchildren. For information on eligibility
and services, call the Kinship Navigator toll-free
at 211 or visit the NJ
DHS website.
BECOMING
A REGISTERED FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDER
Are you thinking about starting a child care
business in your home? Family child care, defined
as the care of five or fewer children in the provider’s
home, is a natural choice for many parents. Children
can interact in small groups in an informal home
setting, and there is often the flexibility for
extended or nontraditional hours. A New Jersey
Certificate of Registration for Family Child Care
can be obtained through the Office for Children,
the state designated family child care sponsoring
organization for Bergen County. Click here
for information to help get you started. The Office
for Children provides technical assistance, training
and referrals for registered family child care
providers. For additional information and resources,
visit the NJ
Department of Human Services website and the
National
Association for Family Child Care website.
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
The Office for Children addresses the professional
development needs of the early care and education
community by providing affordable child care workshops
and hosting conferences and seminars. Training
calendars are mailed to all licensed child care
centers and registered family child care providers.
On-site workshops can be arranged upon request.
To learn more about professional development opportunities,
please call the Office for Children at (201) 336-7150.
Also, visit the Professional
Impact NJ.
Click here to see documents on current professional
development workshops:
Saturday
Workshop(English); Saturday
Workshop(Spanish); First
AidFlyer(Spanish); First
Aid Flyer (English).
Technical assistance is provided to child care
programs, individuals, businesses and the general
community regarding the creation and operation
of child care programs. Call the Office for Children
at (201) 336-7150 for technical assistance. We're
here to help. Many resources are also available
in the Internet. Visit the United
States Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families website
and check out the Child Care Information Center.
For school age providers, the New
Jersey School-Age Care Coalition website at
is another resource.
The Office for Children maintains an extensive
lending library of books and videos. If you are
looking for resources on a particular topic or
tools for staff development, we have current titles
that you can borrow for use at your site.
The Office's mission is to help the county government
in attending the needs of the community while
serving as the bridge between the government and
the diverse spectrum of communities in Bergen
County.
The main purpose is to help in the positive growth
of Bergen County's diverse population for the
good of the whole community.
STARTING
A CHILD CARE PROGRAM
A person or organization caring for six or more
children below 13 years of age must secure a license
from the Office of Licensing in the NJ Division
of Youth and Family Services. For information
on obtaining a license and opening a child care
center, visit their website.
Additional resources are the National
Association for the Education of Young Children,
the New
Jersey Community Loan Fund and the U.S.
Small Business Administration.
OPERATION
CHILD CARE
Bergen County child care providers are participating
in Operation Child Care, a national initiative
to provide a few hours of free child care for
the National Guard and Reserve members who are
retuning home from Operation Iraqi Freedom or
Operation Enduring Freedom for two weeks of R&R
leave. For more information about Operation Child
Care, visit
the website.
If you are a child care provider and would like
to donate a few hours of child care to support
soldiers from our community, please call the Office
for Children at (201) 336-7150.
|
Office
for Children - Providing Child Care Resources
and Referrals since 1980
