Good examples are ChildCareFinder.IN.Gov, which the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration launched in 2016 to help find and compare licensed and registered child cares in their areas, and BrighterFuturesIndiana.org, which supports families in enhancing their children’s learning. To help Hoosiers make better-informed decisions about child care and early education options, FSSA has created a short, easy-to-understand, instructional video to direct them to these useful parenting resources.
“We have heard from many families and others throughout Indiana that they don’t know how to look for and find safe and reliable child care and early education resources,” said Nicole Norvell, director of FSSA’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning. “We encourage parents to view this tutorial on using Child Care Finder and Brighter Futures Indiana and share it with friends, family, neighbors and others who may benefit from having these great parenting resources at their fingertips.”
This new video is a step-by-step guide on how to use Child Care Finder, an application that allows families to search licensed providers, registered ministries and exempt providers by numerous, important parameters, including location, type of provider, hours, licensing status and whether or not the provider participates in Paths to Quality, Indiana’s voluntary quality rating and improvement system. In addition, families can find inspection reports and any validated complaints or enforcement actions for each provider they search. The video also guides families through Brighter Futures Indiana, a web-based early learning resource for families, which also shares useful, timely information with parenting tips, family activities and child development on social media. Families can also call 800-299-1627 for assistance in locating child care.
The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning oversees early child care, education and out-of-school-time programs. It is one of the six divisions of FSSA. Individuals with complaints against a child care provider may call 877-511-1144.