Family Resources
Child Care Information for Families
How IdahoSTARS Helps Families read >>
How to Choose Child Care read >>
Parent League read >>
Online Referrals are Here! read >>
Balancing Work and Family read >>
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.
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!
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 |
Leadership Interest Form |
For more information please contact:
Susan Valiquette |
208.342.5884 ex. 104 |
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.
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.
Features and Links
CHIP
Idaho Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) wants to make sure your children have access to health care they need. This program provides free and low-cost children's health coverage for qualifying working families. For more information on how to qualify and apply for this program, see flyer (English) or (Spanish), or visit chip.idaho.gov.
Family Resources
Right now there are many ways to get information about agencies, programs and resources. To help families get what they need quickly, Connecting Families Website has combined many different databases into one easy place to find what you need Parents Encouraging Parents offers classes on parenting and many resources for parents, with the goal of improving parenting and family life in Idaho. They have upcoming classes listed on their site that are worth checking out!
Child Care Aware is a national child care resource with lots of information on child care, parenting issues,
choosing child care and many other resources. They have a daily parents newsletter with great information every day
Kids Can't Wait to Learn is an organization that stresses the importance of early education and helps you choose
a pre-K program for your child.
NACCRRA is the national network of Child Care Resource and Referral centers (CCR&Rs) that help families, providers,
and communities find, provide, and plan for affordable, quality child care.
Idaho Child provides a wealth of information about children's programs in Idaho. Here you can find information
about CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and IRIS (Immunization Reminder Information System) and other information.
Health and Welfare has plenty of information for parents including articles
about child care, parenting, health, and many other issues.
Idaho AEYC provides information on IdahoSTARS and other programs as well as helpful information for parents.
National AEYC is the site of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and includes many
resources for parents.
Healthy Child Care America focuses on health, safety, and child care issues.
National Head Start Association provides information on Head Start.
Health and Safety in Child Care is a resource center for anything relating to safe and healthy child care. Check
out their parents page for helpful resources.
NCCIC (National Child Care Information Center) is a project of the Child Care Bureau that links parents, providers,
policy-makers, and anyone concerned with early care and education.
NNCC (National Network for Child Care) provides plenty of articles, resources, and information for parents.
Child Care Bureau has a parents page with a wealth of information for parents.
The Idaho Federation of Families works to develop a coalition of groups and individuals to educate about the needs of children with emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders and their families.