With the notice of school closures, we know parents are scrambling to find childcare. Over the past 48-hours we have seen numerous people offer care to children over community forums. While we value the goal to pull together as a society and help each other out, there are risks looming among these offers. Parents need to carefully scrutinize anyone they plan to leave their children with in the coming days. Here are just a few things parents should ask and consider before leaving children with a new caregiver:

• How well do I know this person?
• What is this person’s experience with children?
• What is their experience with age appropriate expectations?
• How many children will they be caring for at one time?
• Where will they be cared for – is the environment child-proofed (are there guns in the house; chemicals locked up; etc.)
• Is this person CPR certified?
• How do they handle stress- what support system do they have if they get overwhelmed in the moment?

We will continue to post information and ideas on our social media and website in the coming days and weeks. Please remember we are here to not only care for children, but also to help answer questions, provide resources or simply talk through a stressful situation 24/7!

Asking for help is a sign of strength and we encourage parents to contact our support staff at 509.535.3155, for any reason, at any time.