Items filtered by date: May 2024

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Child Care Call-In Day Friday, July 8th

If new child care $ doesn't make it into the federal Reconciliation Bill, all the recent progress on child care ends.

Making more families eligible for subsidy, Stabilization Grants, Child Care Desert funding - these were all supported by Federal dollars.

You may remember the original Build Back Better bill called for $400 billion for child care. When that bill failed to move, a new bill called for $200 billion for child care. Now we could end up with $0 new funding.

Ask Majority Leader Schumer, who has fought for child care and children over the years, to get at least $200 billion for child care in the Reconciliation Bill.

You, your team and the parents you serve must call both offices:

DC Office: 202-224-6542

Westchester Office: 914-734-1532

Want to learn more?

Last Friday, members of the Council's Board of Directors were joined by the leaders of the Westchester Children's Association and United Way of Westchester and Putnam to discuss the importance of child care and urge elected officials to restore this funding. Click below to watch:

To see what the federal funding we need could do for NYS, Click Here!

Child Care Referrals & Resources

The Child Care Council of Westchester is a nonprofit organization that helps parents obtain safe, reliable child care. Call the Council to speak with a trained specialist who can provide help to:

• Find Child Care
• Pay for Child Care

Medication Administration Training (MAT)

Independent Study/Hybrid sessions

Sessions are held the first Tuesday of the month from 9am-1pm.

• August 2nd
• September 6th
• October 4th
• November 1st
• December 6th

Child care providers who choose to administer medication to children in a child care setting must take the MAT Course. The MAT Course is highly recommended for all child care programs and will cover all regulations for programs that administer medication and programs that only administer emergency medications.

Currently the Council is offering the MAT Independent Study which is divided into two parts:

• Part 1: Complete the Online Independent Study - this is a mandatory prerequisite (allow for 4 hours in total)
• Part 2: In person MAT Review, Written Test and Skills Competency Demonstration (allow for 45 hours)

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)

3rd Renewal of MAT Certificate - LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

Sessions are held the first Tuesday of the month from 8am-9am.

• August 2nd
• September 6th
• October 4th
• November 1st
• December 6th

To renew your MAT certificate a third time, you need to complete and pass an online comprehension test and then demonstrate your medication administration skills with a MAT trainer. Visit the Professional Development Program website for more information.

• Part 1: Complete and pass an online comprehension test for renewal https://www.ecetp.pdp.albany.edu/mat.aspx
• Part 2: In person demonstration of medication administration skills with a MAT trainer (allow for 1-2 hours)

Modality: 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)

Click HERE to register for one of our Independent Study or 3rd Renewal of the MAT Certificate

Actualización de Subvenciones de Child Care Deserts para Programas Nuevos y Existentes

RFA1 - Estado de la Aplicación

Muchos programas han preguntado sobre el estado de sus aplicaciónes de Deserts Grant para nuevos programas. Tenga en cuenta que la OCFS está experimentando retrasos en la revisión de las aplicaciónes. Actualmente, no hay un marco de tiempo que detalle cuándo se enviará la notificación de aprobación de la aplicaciónes.

RFA2 - Portal de Aplicaciones

La OCFS está experimentando retrasos en el lanzamiento del portal de aplicaciones para los programas existentes. La nueva fecha de lanzamiento de la aplicación es 18 de julio de 2022.

El Council es consciente de estos retrasos. Esperamos orientación de la OCFS sobre el cronograma y pondremos a disposición las fechas tan pronto como tengamos conocimiento.

Si tiene más preguntas sobre la subvención Deserts, comuníquese con nuestro especialista en desarrollo comercial de cuidado infantil al 914-761-3456:

Jessenia Tejada ext. 161, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Habla Español)

Child Care Deserts Grant Update for New and Existing Programs

RFA1 - Application Status

Many programs have inquired about the application status of their Desert Grant applications for new programs. Please note that OCFS is experiencing delays in reviewing the applications. Currently, there is no timeframe detailing when notification of application approvals will be sent.

RFA2 - Application Portal

OCFS is experiencing delays in launching the application portal for existing programs. The new application launch date is July 18, 2022.

The Council is aware of these delays. We await guidance from OCFS on timeframes and will make the dates available as soon as we are made aware.

If you have any further questions regarding the Deserts Grant, please contact either of our Child Care Business Development Specialists at 914-761-3456:

Jessenia Tejada ext.161 or by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Habla Espanol)

Jayselle Trancoso ext.227 or by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 6 Months - 5 Years

COVID-19 Vaccines Informational Session for Families and Providers with Dr. Dial Hewlett, Medical Director, Division of Disease Control Deputy to Commissioner of Health at the Westchester County Department of Health

*Please share this recording with the families in your program*

Click HERE for recording

*Recorded on June 29, 2022 - All information accurate as of that date*

Child Care $ Threatened

Despite all the attention on the importance of child care to children, families and our very recovery from the pandemic, it has been dropped from the Federal Reconciliation Bill discussion. Once part of President Biden's Build Back Better package at $400 billion, child care is now off the table entirely.

Unbelievable.

Unacceptable.

Making child care truly affordable for working parents; creating universal PreK; paying the child care workforce a level of compensation that reflects their true value to society - none of that happens if the anticipated Federal child care funding goes away.

If child care is not a priority in the Reconciliation Bill, we will have learned nothing from the pandemic. And all our pledges to remake our child care system will ring hollow.

Let the President and your elected officials at every level of government know that child care must be a PRIORITY in the Reconciliation Bill.

Just Click Here! to send your letter insisting that child care must be in the Federal Reconciliation Bill.

To see what the expected Federal funding could do for NYS, Click Here!

COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 6 Months - 5 Years

COVID-19 Vaccines Informational Session for Families and Providers with

Dr. Dial Hewlett, Medical Director, Division of Disease Control Deputy to Commissioner of Health at the Westchester County Department of Health

Wednesday, June 29th, 2022 from 1pm-2pm

Submit questions in advance to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

*Please share this link with the families in your program*

Click HERE to register for the Zoom Informational Session. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to join the meeting.

Child care has suffered tremendously during the COVID-19 pandemic. Never have child care leaders been more critical.

Take your place among Westchester's leaders via Leadership Westchester, a rigorous, 9 month program run by Volunteer NY! that sharpens leadership skills, expands relationships, facilitates a new understanding of your own values, capacities and goals, and deepens your ability to influence others.

For the 6th year, the Council is pleased to fully support the participation of a Westchester early care and education leader in this unique opportunity.

A Council committee will pre-screen all applicants for this scholarship and interview selected candidates. Interviews with the committee will be scheduled for late July/early August. Final selection will be made by Leadership Westchester. The first Leadership Westchester class will be in late October.

For the Leadership Westchester application, Click Here!

Deadline for appplications is Wednesday, July 27th at 5pm.

Virtual Info Session to be announced shortly!

About the Cathryn A. Riley Fund - The Leadership Westchester scholarship is made possible by the Cathryn A. Riley Fund of the Child Care Council of Westchester. Cathryn "Cate" Riley was a coordinator at the Council prior to her death. She was involved with the NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, now known as the Early Care and Learning Council, the coordinating vehicle for the statewide CCRR network. She also served on the NYS Department of Education Committee for Teacher Certification, the Board of the Westchester Association for the Education of Young Children and the Advisory Board of Westchester Community College. Cate was herself an intuitive and skilled leader in early care and education.

On Friday, June 17th, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include use in children down to 6 months of age.

• For the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, the FDA amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) to include use of the vaccine in individuals 6 months through 17 years of age. The vaccine had been authorized for use in adults 18 years of age and older.
• For the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, the FDA amended the EUA to include use of the vaccine in individuals 6 months through 4 years of age. The vaccine had been authorized for use in individuals 5 years of age and older

Read the full press release here.