Mayor Betsy Price and Child Care Associates’ (CCA) CEO, Kara Waddell announced the launch of the FIND! Child Care tool aimed at supporting working parents employed at essential businesses during Tarrant County’s community response to the COVID-19 emergency March 30.
Parents employed by essential businesses, can now access a searchable online tool providing real-time availability of childcare spots at licensed childcare centers in Tarrant County for children ranging from zero to 12 years of age.
This tool goes beyond any existing search options for parents seeking detailed information that includes availability and quality details on childcare options near their home and/or work.
“Our community has rallied to build in a few days a platform that today serves essential workers and post-COVID-19 can serve all Tarrant families in need of child care,” said Waddell, recently added to the Texas Governor Abbot’s Frontline Child Care Task Force to support forward-thinking solutions for child care needs during COVID.
As communities continue to deal with widespread disruption stemming from the COVID-19 emergency, The Best Place for Kids! ™ is motivated to help working parents find safe and available childcare options for their children while they meet essential workforce needs.
Committed to The Best Place for Kids!™ mission, CCA’s Waddell, philanthropic representatives, early education specialists, BridgeCare, 501 ops and community leaders have worked tirelessly to create this unique community solution in anticipation of the intensified burden working parents are facing in order to care for their children, while meeting immediate community needs through their professional obligations.
Working parents in Tarrant County in need of childcare are encouraged to FIND! Child Care via:
https://find.bestplace4kids.com/families
FIND! Child Care – Fast Facts:
The FIND! tool has 7,700+ available licensed childcare spots listed (for children ages 0-12) across Tarrant County.
– At launch on 3/30/20: approximately 50% of licensed childcare centers are operational across Tarrant County due to childcare provider decisions to remain open during the COVID-19 emergency. (Essential businesses are defined in Tarrant County’s emergency declaration and detailed on the City of Fort Worth’s website: http://fortworthtexas.gov/COVID-19/)
– Currently, the FIND! Child Care tool is intended to specifically serve working parents employed at essential businesses during our community’s response to the COVID-19 emergency.
– Essential employees who live outside of Tarrant County, but commute to work for an employer in the county are eligible to access the FIND! Child Care tool.
– Early Child Care Navigators (early education staff at CCA, CampFire and Educational First Steps) logged 1,200+ hours over the last two weeks to establish childcare center data and availability information for this launch. Data expertise added by SMU’s Center on Research and Evaluation.
www.bestplace4kids.com