{"id":147423,"date":"2021-09-02T14:27:34","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T00:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=147423"},"modified":"2021-09-02T14:27:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T00:27:34","slug":"windward-cc-child-care-certificate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/09\/02\/windward-cc-child-care-certificate\/","title":{"rendered":"New, free child care certificate to support working families, economic recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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New family childcare business program at Windward CC<\/abbr>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In response to a need for child care to support working families, Windward Community College<\/a> is piloting the Family Child Care Essentials<\/a> online certificate program. Students will learn how to set up and manage a high-quality family child care business, including becoming licensed, financial record keeping, marketing and working with children and families.<\/p>\n

A 2017 study by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s Center on the Family<\/a> found that 64% of children of working parents need child care, and existing providers could only serve 25% of them. The current pandemic has disrupted services and reduced the number of existing child care providers, just as more parents are returning to the workforce. This puts added stress on families, making it harder for some parents to return to work and ultimately slowing economic recovery.<\/p>\n

To address this growing need, Windward CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Office of Career & Community Education<\/a> developed the program in partnership with People Attentive to Children (PATCH<\/abbr>), a child care resource and referral agency, and Learning to Grow, a multi-faceted project that supports families and family child care providers. To earn the Family Child Care Essentials certificate of professional development, students must complete:<\/p>\n