How IdahoSTARS Helps Families
How to Choose Child Care
Parent League
Online Referrals are Here!
Balancing Work and Family
How IdahoSTARS Helps Families
IdahoSTARS has a child care referral database to help you find quality child care. Information about child care centers, family child care, preschools and school-age programs in Idaho are on our database. We have information about their hours, rates, and services they offer parents. To get child care referrals over the phone, please dial 2-1-1 or 800-926-2588 to speak to a Referral Specialist in your area. They will talk with you about your specific needs and get you information about programs available in your area. They also have educational materials to help guide you through the process of finding a quality child care program that best fits your needs. Many resources for choosing child care are also available on this page. If you prefer to get child care referrals online, we now offer online referrals. See the link below.
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How to Choose Child Care
Choosing the right child care for your child can be a difficult process. As the child's parent you are the most valuable person in this process. You know your child better than anyone and you know how you would like your child taken care of. IdahoSTARS knows that you want only the best for your child. That's why we are committed to helping Idaho families find quality child care. Health and Welfare has an excellent guide to choosing quality child care on their web site. Click here for Health and Welfare's guide to choosing quality child care.
Also see this checklist provided by Child Care Aware that will help you evaluate and choose a quality child care provider. For more information on Quality Care, see Idaho AEYC's Brochure on choosing quality care. Use our online referrals (link below) to find child care now!
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Parent League
A new program is being sponsored by Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc. and is specially designed for parents of young children (birth - 8 years) with disabilities to provide training to help them develop their leadership skills. The program will be conducted through a series of 2 two-day retreats. One series will be held in Jerome for the south central and south eastern Idaho regions, and in Cottonwood for the central and northern Idaho region.
Brochure (Adobe PDF)
Leadership Interest Form (Adobe PDF)
For more information please contact:
Susan Valiquette
Program Director
Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc.
600 N. Curtis Rd. Suite 145
Boise ID 83706
208.342.5884 ex. 104
208.342.1408 (fax)
susan@ipulidaho.org
visit our website:
www.ipulidaho.org
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Online Referrals are Here!
IdahoSTARS is pleased to bring you Online Child Care Referrals. You can now search for child care online, 24 hours a day, and save your information on our site for future searches. Please let us know if you encounter problems or have any questions about online referrals by e-mailing iswebmaster@uidaho.edu. You can also get more personalized child care referrals from our Referral Specialists by calling 2-1-1 or 800-926-2588.
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Balancing Work and Family
With more and more parents in the work force, balancing work and family can become a large part of life. Finding quality child care can help make this balance easier and will give parents peace of mind knowing their children are in good hands while they work.
Here is some information from the Early Childhood Information Clearinghouse on balancing work and family life.
The Families and Work Institute is a non-profit organization addressing the changing nature of work and family life. Their site has a wealth of information on balancing work and family.
More information about balancing work and family life can be found on the U of Maine page, and a list of recommended readings can be found on the Center for Work and Family page.
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