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Livingston County Community Coordinated Child Care (4C) Council is a private nonprofit United Way agency which provides a county-wide focus to support children and families by developing a quality early childhood care and education system in Livingston County.
Livingston County 4C is one of fifteen Michigan regional 4C Councils which combine to form a network serving all of Michigan with the help and support of the Michigan 4C Association. For more information on the Michigan 4C go to www.mi4c.org.
The Livingston County 4C Council exists as a planning, organizing, coordinating, training and leadership body for the purpose of preserving and expanding a quality Livingston County child care system. The efforts of the Council will be directed towards advocacy to benefit children and families through utilization and maximization of existing resources and assisting in the development of new resources in Livingston County.
Client Services -
Provider Services
As the staff of the Livingston County 4C, we are eager to tell you about the many early childhood care and education services that we provide to the community! We feel that these services are a great benefit, especially for child care providers, parents and ultimately, Livingston County's young children. Our services include:
- Child Care Referrals: Parents looking for child care phone us, submit a request at our website, visit our office, or email the 4C. They receive a free list of regulated providers from our database that meets their specific needs and consumer information. We assist parents and providers by linking them to other community resources they are looking for.
- One Call for Child Care: 4C offers a toll free number that will link a parent anywhere in Michigan directly to the local 4C in the community that they are phoning from, linking the parent to child care referrals and resources for children and families.
- Community Resource Coordination and the Lending Library: Resource counselors are more than happy to help you find any early childhood or family resources you need! We also have an extensive resource library, featuring many books, brochures, cassettes, videos, booklets, and handouts about early childhood education; child development, parenting and business management open to the community. 4C also has a separate library designated to resources for caring for children with special needs.
- Training, Information, and Support:
- Early Childhood Education: We offer 9 levels of training series per year on topics such as infant and child development, literacy, guidance and discipline, inclusion, health and safety, and management curriculums. These MI Child Care Futures Project training series are provided free of charge and count towards a CDA, child care licensing hours, and college credit at Baker College and other community colleges.
- Accreditation: We have an accreditation support program for child care centers, family and group day care homes, and school-age care programs.
- Scholarships: We offer support and technical assistance for providers who are working towards their CDA or associates degree. We supply information on the scholarships awarded by the Michigan 4C Association.
- Child Care Mentoring Services: We provide technical support to individuals who have newly opened or are thinking about opening a child care business. We hold monthly "Try Caring for a Living" pre-orientation meetings for people wishing to become child care providers.
- Licensing: We provide support and technical assistance for providers who are going through the child care licensing process.
- Child Care Provider Technical Assistance/Consultation Programs: We assist regulated providers with any other issues pertaining to the running of a child care business, such as budget, staff, environment, and parent partnerships.
- Support Meetings: The 4C provides monthly meetings for the directors of child care centers. Speakers on a variety of topics work with the group at these meetings. Livingston 4C also funds and assists in facilitating evening support meetings for group and family day care home providers. Additionally, we offer support for DHS and Relative/Aide child care providers.
- Welfare Reform: This program gives providers information on the Department of Human Services (DHS) and training and support for DHS Positive Billing. DHS/Work First clients receive enhanced child care referrals and child and family resource coordination through 4C.
- Breaking the Barriers: This is a scholarship program funded by Livingston County United Way, and administered by 4C to assist eligible low income parents to begin child care services by paying for their deposits, registration, and activity fees required by their child care program.
- Community Child Care Network: This program supplies support and funding for child care accreditation to providers who care for children whose parents work for UAW-Ford or Visteon.
- Employer Child Care Services Program: Through contracts, we provide many services and information regarding child care and enhanced referral assistance to businesses in Livingston County.
- Internet Referral Service: Employers under contract with the 4C can utilize our database of regulated child care providers on the internet, allowing employers to be able to assist their employees with child care referrals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Success for Kids in Child Care: This community program housed at the 4C and coordinated by a 4C staff member, is designed to help providers who have a child that may be exhibiting challenging behavior. The goal of this program is to prevent children from being expelled from child care. Consultants (from human service agencies in the community) observe the child in the care setting and have an information-sharing meeting with parents and providers aimed at helping the child. These services are free of charge.
- Conferences: We sponsor a regional early childhood conference in November of each year called "Community Sharing for Healthy Caring." This one-day conference provides over 60 workshops on early childhood information for early childhood care and education providers, parents, and human service workers. Livingston 4C is also a major sponsor of "Child Care is Everyone's Business", an annual Michigan Public Policy Conference on Early Childhood Care & Education presented by the Michigan 4C Association.
- Advocacy Events: We host advocacy events for families, early childhood care and education providers.
- Family Fun and Fitness Expo: This annual event is aimed at promoting fun and fitness in the families of Livingston County. 4C facilitates fun and fitness related businesses (including child care) and agencies in showcasing their services and products, in order to make a positive impact on the well-being of children and adults.
- Livingston County 4C Council is a membership agency: Annual membership to Livingston 4C is open to the general public. Membership fee is $25.00 per year, for the period of January 1 to December 31.
For further information regarding other Livingston 4C, or any of the other Michigan Regional 4C child care resource and referral
services, phone toll free to your local community 4C by dialing 1-866-4childcare (1-866-424-4532) from your community. You can
also find Livingston 4C on-line at www.childcare4C.com, or email us at
childcareL@aol.com.
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