Child Care Links Offers Free Workshops to Employers

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

One of the biggest challenges facing working parents is finding quality child care. Thanks to Child Care Links, a local non-profit funded by the cities of Pleasanton, Livermore, and Dublin, that task can be made much easier.

Child Care Links is now offering a variety of workshops on work and family issues, all of which are offered free of charge to any area employer. "A representative from our community services staff presents a workshop, usually lasting 45 minutes to an hour but for as long as two hours, on topics relating to parenting and child care," explains Shauna Brown, coordinator for the new project. "We can also customize topics to the needs of specific employee groups."

Brown notes that the quality of a child's care is an important issue. "Studies show, particularly in early childhood development, that investing in quality childcare early in a child's life is an indicator for success - not only success in school but later in life. Early education and quality pre-school really have an impact in that area."

It can make parents more successful as well, she adds. "Parents can't be productive and comfortable at work if they don't have quality child care that they can really depend on. It gives them peace of mind."

Child Care Links is offering workshops on the following topics:

Choosing Child Care: "Parents have questions about how to choose quality child care and the different standards to look for," says Brown. "We offer that information as well as tips on how to build a relationship with your provider and the importance of quality care in general. We also include great handouts like pamphlets and checklists."

Balancing Work and Family Life: "This workshop provides tips and tools for employees on how to balance their work and family life. For example, we include tips on transitioning their children from childcare to home, to make that transition smooth; how to organize things so that dual responsibility works for working parents; and how to organize your life as a working parent so that you can spend the maximum amount of time with your kids."

Parenting Skills: "That can cover a variety of issues such as sibling rivalry, positive discipline, helping to build self esteem in children, and other topics. Like all our workshops, it can also be customized, so if there are a lot of parents at a particular company with teenagers or younger children, we can tailor it to their needs or make it more general to cover multiple ages and stages."

Child Development: "This workshop is basically an overview of the stages of early childhood development: what's normal, how to recognize a possible delay, and what sort of resources are available in our community if a parent has concerns."

While most employers schedule the workshops during lunchtime, they can be scheduled at other times as well. Child Care Links is also happy to present a series of workshops to interested businesses.

For more information or to schedule a workshop, contact Shauna Brown at Child Care Links, (925) 249-3925.

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