Items filtered by date: May 2024

In addition to our specific services to parents, child care professionals and employers, the Child Care Council serves as an advocate for those groups and the community at large. Our goal is for elected officials and leaders at every level to understand that quality early care and education is an essential investment not only in children and their families, but in our collective future – and to translate that understanding into action, and legislation that increases access.

The Council's current Public Policy Agenda was created by the Public Policy Committee of the Board, drawing on the Council's data reports, the results of the Parent Child Care Survey, and input from the field. Our Public Policy Agenda is revised annually, to reflect the most current needs, issues and trends. See the 2023 Public Policy Agenda.

Learn more about our advocacy work:

• Public Policy and Advocacy
• Parent Child Care Survey

Help Your Employees Access Child Care

Simply by distributing information, you can help your employees access affordable child care and ensure it’s not a barrier to work. Once you put us in touch, our specialists will work with them to choose a reliable provider and access financial resources, including scholarships, subsidies and tax savings. It’s free, and just that simple!

Share this flyer with employees to help them understand the wide range of free services we offer for parents:

• CCCW Services for Employees (English)
• CCCW Services for Employees (Spanish)

In 2022, Westchester County launched a new child care scholarship with higher income limits than ever before, and your employees may now qualify for the first time.

Working parents may be eligible if they earn up to:

• $78,880 for a family of 2
• $99,440 for a family of 3
• $120,000 for a family of 4

Share this scholarship flyer with employees so they can contact us to apply:

• Westchester Works Scholarship (English)  
• Westchester Works Scholarship (Spanish) 

If you would like to go a step further, we can offer specialized services for your business, including lunchtime seminars on parenting topics, concierge-level child care searches, and working parent surveys to help you understand employees’ needs and challenges.

Call us today at (914) 761-3456 x139 to find out how we can help your employees "get back to work."

All child care and after school providers should be approved by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to administer medication. *In order to do so, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have and maintain current first aid and CPR certificates that cover the ages of the children in your care
• Have an Office of Children and Family Services-approved Health Care Plan with a policy for the administration of medication, and have a Health Care Consultant of record who reviews and approves the Plan. Learn more about the Council's Health Care Consultant services and get help with your plan.
• Be listed in your program's approved Health Care Plan as a medication administrant, and have your Health Care Consultant review and sign your plan, to approve you as an administrant
• Have the signed Health Care Plan approved by your program's licensor or registrant
• Work in a program where the oriented license or registration is approved to administer medication
• Successfully complet the Office of Children and Family Services approved Medication Administration Training (MAT) Course offered through the Council

At this time, we are only offering hybrid classes-an independent study online in combination with an in person review and skill testing.

Part 1: Complete the Online Independent Study - this is a mandatory pre-requisite (allow for 4 hours in total) Once you register for a course the online link will be emailed to you.

Part 2: In person MAT Review, Director of Health Care Consultant Services, CCCW

Modality - Age ALL
Training Categories: (OCFS: 2,4,5,7)
Cost: $100 (Upon successful completion of the renewal, you are eligible for the MAT Rebate of $70).
Code: 21101

1. Advanced registration is required. (In addition to completing the online registration with CCCW, participants will need to apply for this workshop through the Early Childhood Education and Training Program website. This step is necessary and is the only way to receive your certificate at the completion of the training. ECETP: Find Trainings (albany.edu)

2. On the day of the course please note the following:

• Bring a photo ID
• Bring your Child Care license/ registration number
• Bring one medium sized (2 7/8” x 2 7/8”) Post-It Pad & Highlighter
• Please bring food, snacks and beverages to sustain you for the day
• You must arrive in the CONFERENCE room at the scheduled time, if you are more than 10 minutes late, you may be sent home.

3. You must be able to READ and WRITE in English. There is one 60 question written exam and a skills demonstration test that you must pass in order to earn your Medication Administration Training Certificate. The written exam is open book.

Part 2- In-Person Review and Skill Testing

3rd MAT Renewal (this course is mandatory when you are renewing your MAT certification for the third time)

If the above schedule does not work for you, please click here to find an alternative class near you.

Questions? Contact Katherine Mancini, Director, Health Care Consultant Services, at (914) 761-3456 x154 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

* with the exception of over-the-counter topical ointments, sunscreen and topically applied insect repellant.

We want you to succeed in providing high quality child care, and in running your business. When you’ve got questions, we’re here to answer them and assist in any way we can. Reach out to us for help with best practices for providing child care, regulations, child behavior, curriculum, quality indicators, business administration practices, marketing, family engagement, children’s health, and more.

The Registration Department assists with the successful completion of the initial or renewal Family Day Care or School Age Child Care application for registration, and helps family child care providers and school age programs who are already registered with the Office of Children and Family Services improve regulatory compliance and promote quality regulated child care.

The Legally Exempt Department provides assistance to providers and parents receiving or applying for a child care subsidy, and to providers who want to complete the legally exempt enrollment application or need help setting up a program, operating a registered/licensed facility, maintaining business records, enhancing children’s activities, and joining the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Department helps Family Day Care and Group Family Day Care providers successfully plan nutritious meals and snacks, complete menus and attendance sheets, and remain in compliance with all aspects of CACFP.

The Health Services Department helps providers develop health care plans and medication procedures, and reviews and approves documents related to the program’s medication administration policy. See Health Services and Information.

For Registration, Legally Exempt or CACFP, contact Lindsay Tiernan at (914) 761-3456 x115 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For Health Services, contact Katherine Mancini at (914) 761-3456 x154 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Not sure who you need to speak to? Contact Laura Cleare at (914) 761-3456 x169 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

When you are seeking comprehensive quality improvement that goes beyond the basics, we encourage you to take advantage of the in-depth, Intensive Technical Assistance available from the Council’s Professional Development Department.

These goal-oriented services will help you provide infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school age children with higher-quality care, through onsite observation and one-on-one support from a member of our trained and knowledgeable staff.

We work directly with child care center teachers and directors, and home providers and their staff, on every aspect of caring for children and running a child care or after school business. We will:

• Help you decide how you would like to strengthen or enhance your program
• Assist in planning and arranging environments, implementing a curriculum, introducing new activities, managing children’s behaviors, and more
• Inform you of best practices for the care and teaching of infants, toddlers,  preschoolers and school age children
• Coach and mentor you and your staff

Ready to get started? Contact Laura Cleare at (914) 761-3456 x169 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For child care and after school providers who want assistance to create a useful, easy-to-follow Health Care Plan, and want to become approved by New York State Office of Children and Family Services to administer medication, the Child Care Council offers the services of a Health Care Consultant.

The Health Care Consultant Service includes at least one site visit, with follow-up consultation, and all of the following:

1. Assistance in developing policies and procedures related to health and infection control regulations, including:
   • Child health policies and procedures
   • Staff health policies and procedures
   • Staff training
   • Daily health checks
   • Infection control policies and procedures
   • Emergency policies and procedures
   • Caring for mildly-ill children
   • Caring for children with special health care needs, like asthma, allergies requiring medications, seizure disorders, diabetes, etc.
   • Medication administration policies and procedures, including required permission, instructions, safe administration, documentation, storage disposal, etc.
2. Resource material that will help you comply with your policies and procedures
3. Updates regarding any changes that may impact your Plan, including regulations, forms, immunization schedules, etc.
4. Updates to your plan as needed, like adding or removing authorized staff to administer medication. Copies of your updated Plan will be provided to your licensor/registrar for final approval.
5. Ongoing technical assistance as needed

The fees for Health Care Consultant Services to be renewed every two years are as follows:

50% discount for each additional site

Optional package:
For an additional $25, you will receive a well-organized binder that contains your Health Care Plan, featuring tabs that separate each topic area and include specific policies, procedures and resource and reference material.

To get started with the Health Care Consultant, print and fill out the two following forms, and return to Katherine Mancini.
By fax: (914) 886-0281
By email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
By mail: 313 Central Park Avenue, Scarsdale, NY 10583

• Health Care Consultant Services Program Agreement Process Document - New Programs
• Health Care Consultant Services Program Agreement
• Health Care Consultant Services Program Agreement Process Document - Renewal

When it comes to children, health and safety come first. Since most children in the United States under the age of six spend significant time in child care settings outside the home, child care providers play a very important role in their health.

To help you keep the children in your care healthy and respond to illnesses and emergencies that will inevitably present themselves, the Child Care Council offers the services of a professional Health Care Consultant.

What you need to know:

All child care and after school providers/programs are required to have a Health Care Plan. Our Health Care Consultant, Katherine Mancini can walk you through the process of creating a useful, comprehensive plan with clear policies and procedures. We’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need to meet best practice standards, keep children healthy, stay up-to-date on the latest health news and developments, and demonstrate to parents that their children’s health and safety is your priority. Learn more about how Katherine can help you.

Beyond having a Health Care Plan, we recommend that all providers become approved through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to administer medication to children in a child care setting. To do so, you will need to compete a Medication Administration Training Course, among other things. Learn more about how to become approved.

Learn about our Health Care Consultant services and how we can help you prepare your Health Care Plan.

The quality of care that children receive between birth and age 5 sets the stage for the rest of their lives. With that in mind, we want to help Westchester's child care professionals provide the very best care possible, and we do that in a variety of ways:

Technical Assistance and Quality Improvement Support
The Child Care Council provides a range of technical assistance services to current or prospective child care providers to help with a wide variety of topics. Learn more about Technical Assistance and Quality Improvement Support.

Accreditation
Beyond the basic regulations established by the New York State Office for Children and Family Services, accreditation by a national organization requires child care providers to meet a higher level of standards. The Child Care Council encourages all programs to pursue accreditation as one method of improving care.

See a list of accredited programs in Westchester

The following organizations offer accreditation based on national quality standards:

 The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

 National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

 AfterSchool Works! New York

 Council on Accreditation (COA)

 American Camping Association (ACA)

Professional Credentials

Child Development Associate (CDA)

 Infant and Toddler Care and Education Credential

 Children's Program Administrator Credential

 Early Care and Education Trainer's Credential

 Family Child Care Credential

 School Age Child Care Credential

 Family Development Credential

See information on the CDA and various other credentials for child care professionals.

A Degree in Early Childhood Education
Several colleges and universities in our area offer degrees in Early Childhood Education:

 Westchester Community College

 Lehman College

 Fordham University

 Manhattanville College

 Mercy College

 Monroe College

 SUNY Purchase

 College of New Rochelle

 Empire State College

Directors and Provider Network Meetings
Share best practices with other Westchester child care program directors and providers.

Westchester Early Childhood Directors Association Meetings:
The Network meets every third Tuesday of the month from 1 PM-3 PM at the Child Care Council office. Contact Howard Milbert at Ossining Children's Center at (914) 941-0230 or Dawn Meyerski at Mt. Kisco Child Care Center at (914) 241-2135 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details.

School Age Directors Network (SADN):
The Network meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 10:00am-12:00pm. Contact Joanne Saporta at Chappaqua Childrens Workshop at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Kim DeSalvo at Ardsley Children's Center at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. more details.

Providers Network:
This group for registered family and licensed group family providers meets 4 times a year. For information about the network, contact Sarah Merrifield, CCCW Infant Toddler Specialist at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 914-761-3456 ext. 107.

Conferences
Attending a conference can be a great opportunity to learn from and network with peers from across the county, state or country.

National Conferences:

 NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo

 North American Reggio Emilia Alliance Summer Conference

 NAEYC – Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development

New York State Conferences:

 WAEYC Conference

 Annual National Afterschool Association Convention

 New York State Association for the Education of Young Children

SCARSDALE, NY (March 2, 2015) –The Child Care Council of Westchester and the Westchester Children’s Association hosted a “town hall” at the YMCA in White Plains on February 28^th, where young people lead a Q&A with County Legislators Benjamin Boykin, Catherine Borgia, Michael Smith and Alfreda Williams. Also present were Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer, Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett, and Regent Harry Phillips, along with an audience of approximately 100 educators, child care professionals, community and non-profit leaders, and parents.

Receiving the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is a way for child care professionals to substantially increase their knowledge of the early care and education best practices, demonstrate a commitment to excellence in the area of early childhood care and education, and advance their career in a meaningful way.

Receiving the CDA Crendential means you are able to:

• Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment for young children
• Advance the physical and intellectual competence of young children
• Support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance
• Establish positive and productive relationships with families
• Ensure a well-run, purposeful program that is responsive to children's needs
• Maintain a commitment to professionalism

CDA Facts:

• The CDA Credential is given by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, DC.
• It is recognized by every state in the US, but each state can choose to accept it in a different way.
  • In New York, you can be a Group Teacher in a Child Care Center if that is the policy of the center. In New Jersey, having a CDA is not enough to be a group teacher.
  • Assistant Teachers in Head Start centers must have a CDA Credential.
• There are 3 different CDA Credentials
  • Infant Toddler (birth to 36 months)
  • Preschool (3-5)
  • Family Child Care (birth to age 5)
• To get the CDA Credential you must take a 120 hour CDA course and apply to the Council for Professional Recognition. From beginning a class to receiving the credential can take about 1 year.
• The CDA Credential must be renewed every 3 years. You will have to have worked 80 hours with the age group of your CDA in the year before you renew. You will have to have taken 45 hours of professional development in those three years that focuses on your work with the children in the classroom.

How to Receive the CDA Credential

Step 1: Take the 120-hour CDA class offered by the Child Care Council. A CDA class takes 8-9 months to complete. The Child Care Council offers different CDA Classes:

• Our in-person 120 hour class for infant-toddler and family child care program teachers that is held from September to June. Sponsored by the Westchester County Office for Women,
• Our in-person 120 hour class for preschool teachers that is offered each year. Sponsored by the Westchester County Office of Workplace Investment,
• Our in-person 120 hour class in Spanish for people working with infants/toddlers/preschoolers and family programs that is offered each year,
• Our online 120 hour class - infant-toddler, prechool or family child care - with some in-person support. This class can be started any time.

Step 2: As part of the CDA class, create a required Professional Portfolio.

Step 3: Apply to the Council for Professional Recognition for the CDA credential ONLY after you:

• complete 120 hour CDA class AND
• work 480 hours with either infants/toddlers, preschool age children, or in a family child care in the 3 years prior to submitting your aplication (you can accumulate your hours while receiving your CDA credential) AND
• pay the application/assessment fee of $425 for the online application. You will be eligible for EIP funding for the fee.

Step 4: Wait for the Council for Professional Recognition to process your application and notify you.

Step 5: Demonstrate the skills needed to work with children and their families during a 2-3 hour Validation Visit conducted by a representative of the Council for Professional Recognition.

Step 6: Complete an electronic test on the course at a nearby Pearson VUE testing center.

Applicants Must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Be working in a child care program
• Be able to speak, read and write in English or Spanish fluently enough to fulfill the responsibilities of a CDA candidate

For information about the CDA Credential and our CDA classes, complete this form.

The Child Care Council's Professional Development Team offers a vast array of trainings and technical assistance for early care and education professionals to help you expand your skills, improve the quality of care you provide to children, and meet NYS licensing requirements.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) regulations require staff to receive 30 hours of training within two years of a program's registration period with 15 hours completed in the first six months of employment.

Participation in trainings and other professional development efforts is an important part of providing quality care and education.

And, it’s good for your career! Watch as some of Westchester’s dedicated early education professionals talk about opportunities to advance within the field:

•  Register online for training courses
• Printable English Training Registration Form
• Printable Spanish Training Registration Form

On-Site Trainings
The Child Care Council's Professional Development team brings the training to you, at a date and time that's convenient. We can train your entire staff, for a reasonable price. Membership and multi-session discounts apply.

Choose from a variety of topics (below), or request a topic of your choice:

• OCFS Regulations and procedures, including health and safety and child abuse prevention
• Program assessment
• Social/emotional development
• Infant and toddler and preschool development, behavior issues, and appropriate curriculum
• Partnering with parents
• Team building and stress management
• Early learning standards/assessments
• Behavior management/child development
• Working with children with special needs
• Child abuse identification and prevention
• Observation, assessment and document

To learn more or schedule, contact Laura Cleare, Director of Professional Development, at (914)761-3456 x 169 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Online Training
In partnership with Child Care Aware of America, the Child Care Council now offers online training, designed specifically for early childhood professionals, in all NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) categories. You can create your own training package, and get OCFS training hours and/or earn Continuing Education Units (CEU) for the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential renewal.

Courses are categorized by their primary New York State Office of Children & Family Services (NYS OCFS) training topic. For a complete list of available courses, click here.

 View and purchase online courses

See instructions to purchase online training.
For assistance between the hours of 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday, call 1-800-261-6248.

Child Development Associate (CDA) Training
Earn the CDA credential to advance your career and make a difference in the lives of children who will benefit from your knowledge of early development and passion for quality care. Learn more about CDA Training.

Help Paying for Training
If you need financial assistance to meet your training obligations, we recommend you explore the
 Educational Incentive Program.