My last blog on March 11th discussed a not too widely known resource available in the Children's Department that is a three-ring binder that holds advertising flyers and brochures to the child care and early education programs available in the Nashua area. This resource can be used as a starting off place for young families to make comparisons, jot down a few notes and websites and then head off for a visit to centers that may provide the care and early education one is looking for. Also listed was contact information to the City of Nashua's Office of Child Care Services and it's coordinator, Chris Lister.
Nashua is a community committed to providing quality, affordable child care. This is evident by the mayoral-appointed Child Care Advisory Commission of Nashua that was established in 1987. The Commission is made up of a group of 15 individuals that live and/or work in Nashua and whose mission it is to review and report on the state of child care in Nashua, to recommend policies to improve child care, and to support the Office of Child Care Services.
One of the ways the Commission gets word out to the community about the child care and early education programs available in Nashua is to annually co-sponsor the "Week of the Young Child Proclamation Ceremony" with the Nashua Early Childhood Care and Education Network. This well-attended event will occur again on Sunday, April 13, 2008 at Nashua High School South in the cafeteria from 1:30pm-3:30pm. Each of the many child care centers that participate will bring a fun, creative activity for young children to enjoy while parents are able to pick up literature on the various programs from a clearinghouse table manned by the Office of Child Care Services. At approximately 2:30pm, Mayor Donnalee Lozeau will read a proclamation proclaiming the week of April 13-19, 2008 the "Week of the Young Child" as celebrated nationally and sponsored by NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children).
So, if time is on your side, check out the Proclamation Ceremony. Your child will have a great time but, if not, you can always depend on your local library to provide you the info you need to start your search for affordable, quality child care. That peace of mind makes it easier for all of us to go to work!!