The youngest years matter the most

16 Better Beginnings

The youngest years

Storybook Village Preschool, located in Santa Rosa, focuses on building a strong community around its infant care program.

“Our infant and toddler programs aim to implement relationship-driven learning and strategies through continuing caregiving routines while being partners in care with families,” said Nicole Monachello, the director of Storybook Village.

“Our goal is to strengthen families while keeping children safe and loved. As a high-quality, trained site through the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) Partners for Quality, Storybook Village Preschool believes each infant has the right to be very special to the people who care for them. Infant and toddler care teachers are mentored and coached on implementing the PITC philosophy and essential policies to promote high-quality, responsive, relationship-based infant and toddler care,” she continued.

Monachello said that she’s tried to transform Storybook Village into a place where both children and parents are supported and valued through hiring passionate teachers and building a caring community.

“As a single mom to an amazing son who is days away from being a teenager, I knew the power of community care,” she said, reflecting on her experience finding child care when her son was younger. “I learned how my son’s preschool experience in Millbrae strengthened our family through support and connections: I balanced work, went to school and raised a young child. As a single parent, I was never raising a child alone. We were surrounded by people who cared about us.”

For parents trying to find infant and preschool care programs for their kids, Monachello wants Storybook Village to provide a similar experience.

Storybook Village is a partner site for California’s Teaching Pyramid Program, which focuses on social and emotional development, so children are ready for kindergarten and life as kind, lifelong learners. “The activities for infants and toddlers are facilitated through small groups and free play. They will have opportunities to explore and learn through interactions, music and movement, sensory and art, and outdoor physical

activity,” said Monachello.

The first steps toward enrolling in the Storybook Village’s infant/child care program starts with families visiting the preschool. If there is availability, the families will pay a registration fee and complete an enrollment packet to enroll their children. If they are full, the

Photos courtesy Storybook Village Preschool Storybook Village Preschool in Santa Rosa focuses on social-emotional development by emphasizing free play and small groups. “I love my role within our preschool because there will be moments when a child or family needs an advocate, and that is who I am.”

Continued on next page ...

Better Beginnings 17

matter the most

... Continued from previous page

families will complete a waiting list application with a fee which will be applied to the annual registration.

Although there is no cost relief for the families, the program does work with agencies that provide subsidy payments. “When we received a grant through Santa Rosa, I used those funds to credit families’ accounts 50% (three weeks of tuition) if they were not using child care, but wanting to hold their spot. We have an annual budget, and any relief for families means teachers suffer since their pay and job security is at risk. We always pay the teachers, regardless if children attend,” Monachello explained. “As one of the preschools in Sonoma County that pays teachers the best, it is still too expensive for families. Unfortunately, I have to choose, and at the end of the day, we’re not for profit; we’re for quality. We’re missing our mark, and that is why I continue my work with extraordinary community members and advocates as a private preschool,” added Monachello.

Still, Monachello said she understands the child care crisis and the difficulty surrounding access to quality child care programs and she helps to find solutions while there may not be any.

“I love my role within our preschool because there will be moments when a child or family needs an advocate, and that is who I am. It takes a lot of work and vulnerability to establish healthy relationships,” said Monachello. “Families choose us for all of the qualities we put within our care. Families, parenting and child care look different today, so we have a lot of work to inform our community and policymakers of what’s needed to address the crises within child care. We’re here to help.”

Photo courtesy Storybook Village Preschool

– Elina Sadeghian

Where to look for licensed care facilities

After parents are through with their time on parental leave, they have access to three types of child care in California. These types of child care include child care centers in which non-medical care and supervision are provided for infant to school-aged children in a group setting for periods of less than 24 hours; family care homes that reflect a home-like environment where nonmedical care and supervision is provided for periods of less than 24 hours; and finally, license-exempted child care.

California's child care regulations are intended to promote health and safety in child care facilities. However, it should be noted that state regulations allow certain exemptions for types of providers of licensure, meaning they can operate legally.

Four groups of child care providers are exempt by the state from obtaining a child care license according to the California Department of Social services (CDSS). The first group includes individuals who care for the children of a relative, or who care for the children of one other family in addition to their own children. The second group includes public as well as private nonprofit programs that offer recreational services. The third group includes businesses that offer limited child care to their clients and customers. The fourth group includes programs that are overseen by state agencies other than Community Care Licensing. For example, organized camps that are overseen by the Department of Public Health and heritage schools that are overseen by the Department of Education.

The California Department of Social Services has a searchable database of licensed child care facilities on its website - ccld.dss.ca.gov/ carefacilitysearch

The information supplied in the database contains facility inspection reports, violations, inspection history and other pertinent information for prospective parents/caregivers.

If your child is already enrolled in licensed care, you can subscribe to your child's facility in the database and get updates when any new information is provided about that facility.