I. Product or Service Description:
The objective is to provide high-quality child care services that meet the varied needs of middle-income families.
The biggest challenges’ facing all working parents is finding safe and affordable child care. Parents want to feel confident that their children are receiving quality child care while they are at work. Too often, parents are forced to make their child care decisions based solely on what is available and affordable in the area, discounting other considerations that affect quality. All children deserve a stable and healthy child care environment. Families should not have to compromise their choice of child care based solely on cost. NH Basic Needs and Livable Wage report states that child care costs have increased by 88 percent over the last five years, or about 14 percent per year.
The child care market is competitive for higher income families but few offer services for families of middle –income. Families of middle-income have very few choices when it comes to selecting child care. Low-income families are provided opportunities through federally funded programs such as Head Start and are support by state child care subsidizes. Higher income families can afford the cost of private funded child care. I. SWOT Analysis
Strengthens:
* There is a formal structure of shared governance comprised of parents, agency board members and community representation. The Council meets monthly. * Each center has family committees that provide families with opportunity to assist in the planning of activities that address their interests and the needs of their children. * Establish management systems with a proactive management team which sustain high quality services for children and families * Educated, experience, resourceful, and dedicated
