Families in Santa Barbara with young children face a shortage of high-quality childcare; there is more demand for childcare than space available. Many working families are using a combination of friends, family, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers to piece together care for their young children before they go to school.
Santa Barbara Public Library (SBPL) wants to be part of the solution.
Having learned about the needs of FFN caregivers during the pilot phase of Stay and Play, a grant-funded early literacy program that focuses on providing support and building community with FFN caregivers, SBPL is starting a series of classes to help support the skills of FFN caregivers, and help those who are interested pursue becoming licensed childcare providers.
Classes in the Nurturing Know-How Series will be offered in English and Spanish. The series will offer free virtual learning opportunities for caregivers on topics of daycare licensure, early literacy, child health, safety practices/first aid, small business skills, school readiness, and developmentally appropriate learning activities,.
Presenters include representatives from a variety of community organizations as well as library staff. The Nurturing Know-How Series will allow opportunity for caregivers to sharpen their professional skills.
The first class focuses on boosting school readiness and will be presented in English at 1 p.m. March 11, and Spanish at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 18.
SBPL hopes to grow the number of credentialed childcare providers in the county, as well as increase the competence and confidence of existing caregivers by offering the classes.
Community needs assessments have indicated there are numerous informal caregiving arrangements in the community due to the shortage of affordable, licensed childcare.
Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) reported that in 2018, 68% of students were “not ready” for kindergarten. By providing free classes in English and Spanish, anyone in the community who cares for young children can improve their skills and learn how to begin to formalize their status as a childcare provider.
“Providing high-quality early literacy classes has always been a library goal, and now we are working with community partners to expand our offerings to broaden our reach and impact,” said Jessica Cadiente, library director.
“We’re grateful for the grant funding from the California State Library that allows us to expand Stay and Play and offer these additional services for caregivers,” she said.
Understanding not everyone might have the tools and access to join virtual programs, SBPL offers laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots that can be checked out to enable this connectivity. Anyone with a library card can check out an Acer Chromebook and Wi-Fi hotspot or a Lenovo Chromebook and Wi-Fi hotspot or just a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Library cards are available at Grab N Go Service upon presentation of a photo ID and are not required for program participation.
English classes will be offered at 1 p.m. the second Thursday of each month; Spanish classes will be at 1 p.m. the third Thursday of each month. Additional classes are offered in the evenings depending on community partner presenters’ availability. Registration is currently open for scheduled classes.
Nurturing Know-How Caregiver classes schedule:
March 11, 1 p.m. – Boosting School Readiness: Social/Emotional Development and Language
March 18, 1 p.m. – Preparación para la Escuela: Desarrollo Social/Emocional y de Lenguaje
March 25, 6 p.m. – So You Want to be a Childcare Provider Panel Presentation
April 8, 1 p.m. – Boosting School Readiness: Science and Math
April 15, 1 p.m. – Preparación para la Escuela: Ciencia y Matemáticas
April 22, 6 p.m. – Let’s talk! How to create opportunities to foster the language and socialization of young children with Koegel Autism Center
April 29 6 p.m. – ¡Hablemos! Como crear oportunidades para fomentar el lenguaje y socialización de los más pequeños
Registrants can sign up to be notified of upcoming classes by providing contact information to YouthServices@SantaBarbaraCA.org, calling 805-564-5602, or texting 805-764-4542.
Funds to support this program were awarded to SBPL as part of the State Library of California’s Shared Vision Early Learning Grants.
Visit the Santa Barbara Public Library at SBPLibrary.org for information about programs and services. All library programs are free and open to the public.