4CS of Passaic County

Childcare administration: 4cs is the designated child care resource and referral agency for Passaic County as contracted by the nj department of human services, division of family development (dfd). A primary responsibility of 4cs is to assess the applicant family's eligibility to determine if they qualify for financial assistance with their childcare needs. During fiscal year ended september 30, 2023, 4cs encumbered and payments were issued on behalf of all eligible Passaic County families in the amount of $65,742,686, representing service to 8,395 unduplicated children.

Child care resource development: funded by the dfd, the program provides, coordinates, and assists in the development of additional child care resources within the County for families to make child care arrangements. Concentrated resource development efforts increase and enhance the availability and quality of child care to families in the County.

Technical assistance and training: our center for child care careers enhances the agency's mission by mentoring, teaching, offering technical assistance and communicating about early care and education concerns, such as high-quality childcare, children's healthy development, and raising successful children through increasing the knowledge and skills of parents, head start providers, childcare centers, family childcare providers, family-friend-and-neighbor providers, and directors. Last year, approximately1632 people participated in these trainings and more than 400 childcare center staff and family childcare providers were represented. The provider services maintains lists of available and approved providers and centers, monitors the providers and centers, assists with child and adult care food program referrals, donates books and support items, and holds appreciation events.

Quality improvement - all quality activities align with, support, and help sustain quality efforts required by the childcare development block grant (ccdbg), grow nj kids, and other dfd funding efforts. Guiding principles, that have been given by dfd, include the following: transparency and accountability regarding the use of public funds, sound fiscal and programmatic accountability systems and internal controls, equity and access to services, coordination, and linkages of services across programs and with key partners at federal, state, and local levels, and program guidance and clear communications about ccdbg/ child care development programs and policies.child care food and family child care food program: funded by the us department of agriculture, passed through the state of new jersey department of agriculture, the program reimburses for food, food supplies, and other related expenses, and provides meals for eligible children enrolled in the homes of registered family childcare ("fcc") providers.counseling and referrals: funded by the dfd, the program assists and counsels parents on available childcare options. Childcare information is disseminated to all interested families and organizations in the geographic area.vocational school: 4cs the center for child care careers (the "center") offers all staff in the field of early childhood care and education the opportunity to improve their skills and advance their careers. The new jersey department of education approved the center as a vocational school in 1997 and, since 2009 has continued to grant approval. The center enhances 4cs's mission by increasing the knowledge and skills of parents and the childcare workforce in head start programs, community-based childcare centers, registered home-based fcc providers, and center directors regarding significant and important concerns such as developing high-quality child care programs and raising successful children. 4cs continues to empower and support families by promoting quality and affordable childcare through community resources and working with its education department.advocacy: 4cs's mission is to assist families in the northern region of new jersey in obtaining high quality, accessible, available, and affordable early childhood care and education. In an effort to accomplish this mission, 4cs provides subsidies to families as well as educational resources and information on quality childcare.