Childcare and Development > Create The Project
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | High | High |
Project: Playgrounds
In many newer communities, there aren't enough playgrounds to serve all the children. In older communities, most playgrounds are more dangerous to children than they should be, with hard surfaces, protruding bolts, and poor maintenance. Some lack play value, leaving children more inclined to play dangerous games on equipment they don't enjoy. Clubs can evaluate and upgrade older playgrounds using safety checklists that pinpoint dangers. Refurbishing an old playground can be a major undertaking that clubs address with partners. An even larger challenge is building a new playground. This requires formation of an organization specifically for the project and support from the entire community. It requires research, use of a consultant or playground company, and thorough planning.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Moderate to low | Moderate |
Project: Play Day
Parents sometimes don't understand their young children's skills or how to assist them in developing. A Play Day provides a chance for parents to learn about the developmental stages of their children and try out age-appropriate activities.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | Moderate to Low | Moderate to Low |
Project: Intergenerational Projects
At a time when senior citizens and children are segregated from one another… when there's a great need for more child care workers… and when more senior citizens are looking for meaningful activities… it sure makes a lot of sense to involve older adults in child care programs.
The format of a program depends on the age and interest of the seniors and the resources available to support a program. An intergenerational project is a considerable challenge, but the rewards for young and old are great.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | Variable | Variable |
Project: Support a Preschool, Child Care Center, or Head Start Program
Preschools and child care centers offer settings for exploration and learning, supervised by qualified teachers. Children have opportunities they might not have at home to experiment, interact, and prepare for future challenges. In the United States , Head Start programs are government-supported preschools for underprivileged children and their families. Their purpose is to give children the "head start" they need to do well in school. If a Kiwanis club discovers a need in the community for higher quality child care at affordable prices, it will probably need to work with centers to improve or expand their programs and to educate the public about quality programs.
A service bulletin on assisting a pre-school, child care center, or Head Start program can be requested from the Program Development Department at the International Office. It suggests a variety of ways in which clubs can assist.
Volunteers - A club rich in volunteer time can give regular assistance in the classroom by reading stories or writing down those told by the children, supervising the playground or art area, or providing transportation. If the club prefers to sponsor a special event, it could stage a party, picnic, or field trip. Maintenance work or assistance with bookkeeping are other possibilities. The club could also assist by organizing the recruitment and training of volunteers from churches, senior citizen centers, high schools, and colleges.
Funding - A club with more significant funds available-or the ability to raise them-might adopt the school or center and supplement its budget, buy equipment, remodel the preschool, or even acquire a site for a larger center. Schools and centers always need playground equipment, long-lasting toys, and consumable materials such as paints, crayons, and paper. But there may be other, less expected needs, like cribs, smoke detectors, safety equipment, a computer, or office supplies.
Helping Families - The club could turn its attention directly to the children and their parents, supplying whatever is needed, from clothing for a child to food for the family or job training for the parent. In addition to meeting basic needs for food and clothing, clubs could provide scholarships to children from low-income families, to allow them the opportunity to participate in a quality program.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | Moderate | Moderate |
Project: Support Family Child Care Providers
More than one-and-a-half million women in the United States provide home-based care to more than 5 million children. That's more than 70 percent of the children in full-time child care. These care providers, usually with three to six children in their own homes, are generally less expensive, more conveniently located, more flexible, and have a more homelike environment than most center-based care providers. However, they are also less regulated and may have no trained personnel. Working with family care providers may be less cost effective than working with centers. In many communities they provide most of the child care, so significant improvements probably depend on them. A Kiwanis club could undertake one of several projects to improve family care in its community.
Immediate Needs - Many family care providers can't afford equipment or needed repairs. Some require organizational assistance to plan a budget, exercise their tax rights, or apply for the Child Care Food Program. A set number of service hours or a small grant from club members could solve any of these problems and improve the quality of care for children.
Licensing or Registration - Less than 10 percent of family care providers are licensed or registered by a state agency, even though law generally requires this. A club could promote licensing in the community and offer assistance in working with the state agency, completing paperwork, or modifying homes so that they meet state licensing requirements. A club could also print a list of family care providers who are licensed.
Support Van - Because family care providers operate in their homes, they often are isolated. They cannot afford to have materials or services delivered to them, and many resource centers are closed when the working-day ends. To solve this problem in Miami , Kiwanis clubs worked with the Junior League and the Council of Jewish Women to purchase and equip a van that visits family care providers. An early childhood expert offers advice, educational materials for the care providers, and loans of equipment, toys, and books from the library system. The van's personnel work for the county.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | High | Moderate |
Project: Expand Child Care Services in the Community
A club may find that existing programs can't meet the real problem in the community. There may be more children who need care than there are spaces available, or a particular kind of service may he lacking. In either case, the challenge for the Kiwanis club is to find a way to create the program without bearing the full burden of its cost.
Involve the Business Community - Convenient, affordable child care can reduce absenteeism, personal phone calls, and turnover at the same time that it builds employee morale. A company-or group of companies-doesn't need to assume all costs for a center, nor does the center need to be on the company's premises. It simply needs to provide enough support to make a viable, attractive program.
Contact Colleges and Universities - Many schools have or need child care facilities for use by students and staff. In addition, many schools have faculty members who are experts in early childhood development as well as students who need practicums. There is great potential for support of a new care center on or near campuses.
Support New Family Care Giver - The fastest way to increase the number of child care spaces in the community may be to encourage development of family child care homes. The club could sponsor a meeting or seminar that explains how to set up a family day program and become licensed. It might also offer small loans, training, technical assistance, or repairs to help start care providers with properly organized and equipped homes.
Start a Program in the High School - A high school may have space for a center and a willing pool of volunteers. However, today there is a far more important reason to put a child care program in the school. Many of the students need a place to leave their children while they go to class. A child care program will help them attend school regularly-and it might get them through school.
Develop Additional Service - Two services commonly needed by parents but rarely offered by care providers are extended hours and sick-child care. The club should attempt to collect information on the extent of the need. If the need for extended hours is large enough, one child care center may be willing to extend its hours because it will be able to afford an additional employee.
Sick-child care is an additional problem. Sick children often require special child care arrangements. It also leads to absenteeism in local businesses, so financial support from the businesses may be available as a solution. The club might work with a hospital or clinic to set up a sick-child care center. Or, it might seek out a nurse who would set up a sick-child family care program-perhaps subsidized on the days when no children are ill. A third possibility is to develop a list of qualified retirees who will care for sick children in their homes.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | High | Low |
Project: Support or Develop a Resource and Referral Agency
A resource and referral agency provides a link between providers of child care and families who need child care. The basic role of a resource and referral agency is to develop files on all child care services available in the community and refer parents to the groups that can best meet the family's needs. This leads to other important roles:
• Educating the public about the availability, affordability, and quality of child care in the community.
• Providing training and support for current care providers that will improve the quality of their programs.
• Encouraging the development of additional care programs.
If your community has a resource and referral agency, learn whether it has sufficient funding, personnel, and equipment to accomplish its goals. The purchase of a computer or software, club support of a survey, or assistance in obtaining a grant could make the agency an effective coordinator of child care services.
If your community doesn't have a resource and referral agency, consider calling together business leaders, child care providers, and elected officials to discuss the value of working together to establish such an agency.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Low | Low |
Project: Develop a Reading Is Fundamental (RlF) Program
Children don't learn to read if they aren't exposed to books. Part of the solution, therefore, is to make sure that children-especially those who don't have books at home-receive a book to take home. That is where Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) enters the picture.
The RIF program puts books in the hands of children, to excite them about books and motivate them to read. A club can develop a RIF program for a preschool, Head Start program, or kindergarten. Many clubs have done so over the years. Although RIF is a U.S. organization, the information on how to set up the program can be used by a club in any country.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Moderate | Low |
Project: Set Up a Storyline Phone
As many libraries have already discovered, children love to hear stories over the phone. For a child whose parents cannot read to him or her, this may be the only way to hear a story each day. This is a simple project. If the library agrees to cooperate, the club purchases a phone machine that plays a tape over and over, pays the monthly charge for the phone line, and promotes the new "Storyline." If there are club members in good voice, they can help record the stories. Libraries report heavy use of their storylines, before and after school, at bedtime, and at times when children are asleep!