Childcare Referral Specialist Helps Dad Find Child Care and More
Sometimes a childcare referral is more than a referral. Teresa Castro, Resource and Referral Specialist, received one of those calls on July 19, 2016. A father called in who was looking for care for his 3-year-old daughter.
Teresa asked him all the questions for a customized referral to meet his family’s needs such as times care was needed, locations, type of care and more. After she was finished and almost ready to prepare the customized referral, she asked him one more question.
“I asked him what other resources I could help him with,” says Teresa. “That’s when he broke down and shared more of his story.” The father recently was awarded sole custody after Child Protective Services took the children away from his ex-girlfriend. The preschooler also had a newborn sister who at 2 ½ weeks old was too young to be in childcare and would be watched by a relative who couldn’t watch both children.
The father came down to Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W. to pick up his referral and get more resources. “When he got here the client was scared and said he was unsure what to do. He felt lost,” says Teresa. “I told him it will be ok. Just take one step at a time.”
Teresa offered him an enhanced referral to make sure the programs had availability for the non-traditional hours he was looking for. She provided diapers, baby wipes which were needed and two books to for him to read to his daughters. Teresa provided information about the agency’s Parents as Teachers Home Visiting Program, Parenting Classes and Play Groups. She also made sure he had the numbers for community resources such as WIC, Childcare Assistance and 2-1-1.
“He just started crying and I told him he wasn’t alone,” says Teresa. Before he left he gave Teresa a hug, a kiss on the cheek and said, “Thank you.”
“He says he now feels a lot better than before,” says Teresa. “I told him we are here if he needs us, just call.”