Lansing Board of Water & Light
Enhanced Child Care
Referral Service
The OYC Enhanced Child Care Referral Service
for Lansing Board of Water & Light Employees
The Lansing Board of Water & Light now offers an enhanced child care information
and referral service for its employees through a contract with the Ingham County Office
for Young Children. For over 15 years the Office for Young Children has been working with
child care providers and parents, now this service can directly provide Board of Water
& Light employees with child care information and resources.
Program Overview
The Lansing Board of Water & Light recognizes that many employees need child care
assistance. The enhanced child care referral service provides parents with information on
the types of child care, characteristics of quality care, how to choose child care,
referrals to licensed child care homes and centers, and information on financial
assistance available in the community.
Program Description
The Office for Young Children (OYC) referral service provides information on the types
of regulated child care including preschools, day care centers, group family day care
homes, and family day care homes. OYC has information on licensing requirements for each
type of care, and is familiar with the advantages of different care arrangements.
The OYC child care specialists assist parents in selecting child care by explaining
indicators of quality child care and providing parents a checklist to use in comparing
programs. Parents are also provided suggested steps to follow in choosing the type of
child care that is best suited for a family's needs. Child care specialists are also
available to provide telephone consultations with parents concerning developmental and
child care issues.
The OYC enhanced child care referral service provides parents with lists of licensed
child care providers who have vacancies and offer care for the ages, times and locations
that parents have requested. OYC will call back parents after six weeks to ask if they are
satisfied with their child care arrangements or if they need additional child care
referrals.
The OYC enhanced child care referral service provides parents with financial
information about the following: the Federal Child Care Tax Credit, Michigan DHS day care
assistance programs for income eligible families, child care scholarship programs
available for the residents of Lansing and East Lansing.
Important Notice:
It's Your Choice
The Ingham County Health Department's Office for Young Children (OYC), through an
agreement between Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) and Ingham County, provides
Lansing Board of Water and Light's employees with child care provider referral services.
It is important to remember that this service provides you with referrals, not
recommendations. The quality or appropriateness of child care services cannot be
guaranteed by the Office for Young Children nor by Lansing Board of Water & Light. The
Office for Young Children's referral service provides you with a list of names of child
care providers who are licensed or registered by the State of Michigan Division of Child
Day Care Licensing, and will provide you with a checklist to evaluate providers, but ONLY
YOU CAN DETERMINE WHETHER A PARTICULAR PROVIDER MEETS YOUR NEEDS. You are responsible for
making the child care provider selection and monitoring the arrangement. You should
understand that the caregivers you are referred to have not been evaluated, screened, or
recommended by either the Office for Young Children or the Lansing Board of Water &
Light.
Before You Call
Consider These Questions:
-Where do you want your child care to be located - near your home or near your (or your
spouse's) work?
-Which type of child care settings do you prefer - family day care home, group day care
home or child care center? Or do you want referrals of all three types? (See descriptions
under Types of Child Care Referrals.)
-During what hours of the day will your child need care? (Include travel time, too.)
-Do you have any special considerations (such as children with special needs,
transportation, rotating shifts, occasional evening care, etc.)?
Types of Child Care Referrals:
The Office for Young Children only refers to child care providers licensed or
registered by the State of Michigan Day Care Licensing Division. There are basically three
types of child care providers available through the referral service:
1. Family day care homes are registered to care for up to six children in the
provider's own home. Of these children, no more than two may be under the age 18 months
according to the Family Day Care Licensing rules.
2. Group day care homes are licensed to care for up to twelve children in the
licensee's home. Whenever more than 6 children are attending there must also be a second
adult caregiver in the group home.
3. Child care centers are licensed facilities other than homes (such as churches,
schools or community buildings) which care for young children. Child care centers are also
known as nursery schools, parent cooperative preschools, day care centers and drop-in
centers. Child care centers may be licensed for infants and toddlers (2 weeks - 2 1/2
years), preschoolers (2 1/2 - 6 years) and for school-age children (6 years and older)
before and/or after school hours.
The OYC referral service does not include the names of in-home child care providers
("babysitters"). If you desire in-home child care, OYC can only provide you with
ideas on how to go about searching for child caregivers to come into your home, not actual
names of caregivers (since this is an unregulated or unlicensed form of child care.)
Enhanced Child Care Referral Service
Office for Young Children
887-4319 or (800)234-6996
Other related BW&L Dependent Care Services
-flexible spending accounts
-job sharing
-flex-time
-leave of absence
-health benefits
-workshops on family issues
-family handbook
For further information on any of these topics contact the Human Resources Division at
371-6262.
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