Good news! Suffolk County has approval for an extension of our COVID-19 Child Care Waiver! Here are the conditions of the waiver extension:
- 1. The family share/fee is waived for those families who have been impacted by COVID-19.
- Eligibility standards are expanded to serve families with incomes up to 85% of the New York State median Income.
- The Suffolk County Department of Social Services (SCDSS) will make payments to all eligible providers (contracted and non-contracted) for a maximum of 60 days on behalf of a child who is temporarily absent from child care due to extenuating circumstances resulting from the effects of COVID-19. Applicable program types include: Day Care Center, Group Family Day Care, Family Day Care, Legally-Exempt Group, and School Age Child Care.
- SCDSS will make payments to all eligible providers (contracted and non-contracted), for a maximum of 60 days, that are closed due to the effects of COVID-19. Applicable program types include: Day Care Center, Group Family Day Care, Family Day Care, Legally-Exempt Group, and School Age Child Care.
- SCDSS will permit families that are not receiving public assistance that would otherwise need to have their eligibility for child care re-determined within the period of the disaster recovery, an additional 30 days to complete such redetermination and will continue to provide child care services to such families during the extended redetermination period. This means that families who have already been granted an additional 30 days to complete redetermination will now have a total of 60 days to complete redetermination. Families who are just coming due for recertification during the extended waiver period will have an additional 30 days to complete redetermination. The effective period of the waiver is now 3/16/20 – 5/14/20.
CULTURAL IMMERSION PROGRAM
Way to Grow Child Care Learning Center is proud to announce our “Cultural Immersion Program” where three days a week our preschool and pre-k program will be learning to speak Chinese. The first three to four years of life are considered the best time for children to learn a second language. The benefits of learning a second language in preschool are numerous, and bound to positively impact children’s future, academic, and professional lives. Second language acquisition is tightly linked to increased performance in areas of social and academic development such as verbal communication, mathematical development and reasoning skills. It is also linked to increasing young children’s cultural awareness and understanding of cultural differences.
Move over Flat Stanley!
Flat Miss Carol and Flat Miss Erin were recently sent out to Way to Grow children who are homebound with their families due to the pandemic. The children love getting weekly cards that help them keep in contact with their friends and teachers. And we enjoy getting pictures from them showing the adventures of Flat Miss Carol and Flat Miss Erin!
Learning While Playing
View a typical activity at Way To Grow Child Care Learning Center
Take a minute to view a typical activity at Way To Grow. We pride ourselves on providing children with a comfortable and safe environment while providing a stimulating curriculum.
View all of the programs offered at our Patchogue child care facility.
Meet Cindy
Cindy Motta is a 12-year-old aspiring artist who attends our Before and After School Program. When it comes time for college, she wants to major in art. Cindy has a strong interest in fashion design and has already come up with some original clothing designs. This is the first mural that Cindy has painted for us and we look forward to more one-of-a-kind creations. We hope Cindy continues to live out her dream and become a great designer. We’ll be able to say that “we knew her when”!
