At first, Jennifer Ferrini was “resistant to get involved with CARES,” she says, “because I work 10 hours a day, and the thought of taking a (course) on top of that was rather overwhelming.”  But then she realized she could get CARES stipends for taking trainings on particular issues.  Now she’s participating in both CARES and the Corps. Ferrini has been a family child care provider in Chico for over 15 years.  A mom with a B. S. in anthropology, she started providing family child care to stay home with her kids.

“Since I started with CARES,” Ferrini says, “it made me feel more like a professional.” Through CARES, she got excited about specialized training: “I have a relationship with one of the foster agencies,” she says.  “At any given time, I have between two and five foster kids in my program. I’m always looking for techniques so I have more arrows in my quiver to work with kids who have had trauma in their lives.”

Ferrini recently returned from a two-day statewide Corps conference, where members came up with an action plan to preserve CARES, which has a good possibility of being eliminated as a stipend program when First 5 develops a new strategic plan.  (See below: The New Corps Action Plan).

Ferrini thinks the CARES stipend is especially important for family child care providers, who tend to work very long hours.  “The stipend (is) a strong motivator for me to get up early on a Saturday to go to a class.  My CARES stipend is 5% of my income.  There are a lot of providers that have no training at all.  These trainings teach providers what kids need—providers need to hear that.”

If she loses the CARES stipend,  the kids would also lose, Ferrini says. After two trainings on art, for example, “I rearranged my art area so the kids have access to it all the time.  Now there’s a lot of art, a lot of creativity. ”

Despite worries about CARES funding, says Ferrini, “everyone (at the conference) was really jazzed up, because CARES is like a little seed of what Obama’s suggesting. (He) specifically mentioned ECE and compensation.  Maybe First 5 should lobby for federal money!” 

The New Corps Action Plan

Focus: 

• CARES and AB212 
• The impact of budget cuts on programs for children and families.

Strategy: 

• A rapid-response letter writing campaign
• Visits to key decision makers

Messages:

• A quality child care system needs a well-paid and educated early childhood workforce
• It’s important to have workforce development initiatives that support teachers directly, such as CARES and AB212.

Message targets:

• Key legislators
• First 5 local and state commissioners and executive directors
• The media

For More Information, Contact:

• Alameda: Marva Lyons, 510-521-3997 and Margaret Costello-Chevis, 510-226-9414
• Butte: Jennifer Ferrini, 530-893-2443
• Contra Costa: Donna Daly, 925-833-0834
• Humboldt: Danielle Koren, 707-443-2497
• Los Angeles: Catherine Scott, 562-572-9939
• Riverside: Tamara Dobson, 951-340-3186
• San Diego: Katy Kenshur, 760-436-3725
• San Francisco: Valentina Feldman, 415-861-5361
• San Joaquin: Bettina Engleman, 209-601-9467
• San Mateo: Silvia Espinoza, 650-359-4675
• Santa Barbara: Christine Fleenor, 805-937-0675
• Shasta: Carol VonBrandt, 530-365-1931
• Solano: June Regis, 707-439-0876
   

If your county is not listed above, contact Sara Hicks-Kilday at cares@caccwrc.org, 415-808-7327. For Spanish, contact Teresa Calle-Streicker, 415-821-7871.