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| Education |
Learning From Kindergarten to College
California’s public education system is huge with more than 6.2 million students in about 9,900 schools, which are governed by almost 1,050 elected school boards and regulated by a complex education code. The schools are funded through a finance system largely controlled by the California Legislature and governor. In California, schools vary in their grade-level configurations, but most elementary schools encompass Grades K–5, middle schools have Grades 6–8, junior highs have Grades 7–9 and high schools have Grades 9–12.
With one of the most well-educated populations in the country, the Bay Area is home to parents who place a high priority on their children’s education. They also are involved in ensuring that their children are prepared for future challenges and demand accountability from the education system. Within the Bay Area, there are nine county offices of education that educate nearly 500,000 area school children. There are also many private and parochial schools in the Bay Area that provide diverse educational offerings.
CHILD CARE
Upon arrival to the Bay Area, one priority may be determining child care, especially for children under the age of 6. Many couples are professional, dual-income earners and may not have close or extended family nearby to help. Luckily the region offers many options and resources, including licensed facilities, independent child-care homes and in-home professionals.
Important Child-Care Definitions
The California Child Care Resource & Referral Network (R&R Network) (www.rrnetwork.org) promotes affordable, accessible quality care through research, education, policy and advocacy. Community Care Licensing Division (CCL) of the California Department of Social Services (DSS) oversees the licensing of all child-care facilities in California. R&R Network defines the following as child-care provider institutions.
— Family Child-Care Home: This is care offered in the home of the provider who is often a parent. A family child-care provider often cares for children of different ages, and the number of children a family child-care provider can care for at one time depends on the ages of the children and whether there is an assistant or second provider. Family child-care homes are licensed by the state.
— Child-Care Center: This is a facility that can provide care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children all or part of the day. Although generally larger than family child-care homes, centers can be large or small and can be operated independently or by a church or other organization. Child-care centers are sometimes called “nursery schools” or “preschool programs.” Child-care centers are licensed by the state.
— In-Home Care: This is care provided by a friend, relative, babysitter or nanny in the child’s home on a full- or part-time basis. This kind of care is not licensed, but reputable in-home care providers use TrustLine (www.trustline.org), a registry of providers who have submitted their fingerprints to the Department of Justice and have no disqualifying child abuse or criminal convictions in California.
— Home-Care Provider: This is care provided for children from only one other family besides their own. Children go to the provider’s home for care. There is no licensing required for these providers. TrustLine is available to provide background information about reputable home-care providers.
OTHER CARE OPTIONS
— Nannies
Nannies are employed by the family on either a live-in or live-out and part-time or full-time basis to undertake all tasks related to the care of children. Duties generally are restricted to child care and domestic tasks related to the children. The nanny may or may not have had formal training although often they have extensive child-care experience and a background in early childhood education. Typically, full-time employed nannies will work 40–60 hours per week, usually unsupervised.
According to the International Nanny Association (INA) (www.nanny.org), you can look for a nanny in many places, including help-wanted ads in newspapers and magazines, bulletin boards and referrals from friends. These approaches can be time-consuming and also can result in negative experiences. The association suggests that you contact nanny-training programs about the availability of their graduates or that you take advantage of the services offered by nanny-placement agencies.
A placement agency is a service company that matches the skills and qualifications of nannies with the needs of families looking for in-home child care. The agency charges a fee to locate and screen nannies for you to consider hiring for your family. A reputable agency carefully will consider your needs and preferences when helping you find a suitable candidate. Placement fees range from $800 to $5,000 and should include a provision to replace the nanny or refund a portion of the fee if the placement does not work out within a certain period of time.
As part of its screening process, the agency verifies the nanny candidate’s personal and employment references as well as previous child-care experience. Many agencies also take nanny fingerprints, check for a criminal records, check the driving records and require a blood test, TB test and/or request a doctor’s statement that the candidate is in good health and free of contagious diseases. Some agencies also require psychological testing or evaluation. In the United States, the agency should verify that the candidate is an American citizen or is eligible to work legally in the country.
California’s public education system is huge with more than 6.2 million students in about 9,900 schools, which are governed by almost 1,050 elected school boards and regulated by a complex education code. The schools are funded through a finance system largely controlled by the California Legislature and governor. In California, schools vary in their grade-level configurations, but most elementary schools encompass Grades K–5, middle schools have Grades 6–8, junior highs have Grades 7–9 and high schools have Grades 9–12.
With one of the most well-educated populations in the country, the Bay Area is home to parents who place a high priority on their children’s education. They also are involved in ensuring that their children are prepared for future challenges and demand accountability from the education system. Within the Bay Area, there are nine county offices of education that educate nearly 500,000 area school children. There are also many private and parochial schools in the Bay Area that provide diverse educational offerings.
CHILD CARE
Upon arrival to the Bay Area, one priority may be determining child care, especially for children under the age of 6. Many couples are professional, dual-income earners and may not have close or extended family nearby to help. Luckily the region offers many options and resources, including licensed facilities, independent child-care homes and in-home professionals.
Important Child-Care Definitions
The California Child Care Resource & Referral Network (R&R Network) (www.rrnetwork.org) promotes affordable, accessible quality care through research, education, policy and advocacy. Community Care Licensing Division (CCL) of the California Department of Social Services (DSS) oversees the licensing of all child-care facilities in California. R&R Network defines the following as child-care provider institutions.
— Family Child-Care Home: This is care offered in the home of the provider who is often a parent. A family child-care provider often cares for children of different ages, and the number of children a family child-care provider can care for at one time depends on the ages of the children and whether there is an assistant or second provider. Family child-care homes are licensed by the state.
— Child-Care Center: This is a facility that can provide care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children all or part of the day. Although generally larger than family child-care homes, centers can be large or small and can be operated independently or by a church or other organization. Child-care centers are sometimes called “nursery schools” or “preschool programs.” Child-care centers are licensed by the state.
— In-Home Care: This is care provided by a friend, relative, babysitter or nanny in the child’s home on a full- or part-time basis. This kind of care is not licensed, but reputable in-home care providers use TrustLine (www.trustline.org), a registry of providers who have submitted their fingerprints to the Department of Justice and have no disqualifying child abuse or criminal convictions in California.
— Home-Care Provider: This is care provided for children from only one other family besides their own. Children go to the provider’s home for care. There is no licensing required for these providers. TrustLine is available to provide background information about reputable home-care providers.
OTHER CARE OPTIONS
— Nannies
Nannies are employed by the family on either a live-in or live-out and part-time or full-time basis to undertake all tasks related to the care of children. Duties generally are restricted to child care and domestic tasks related to the children. The nanny may or may not have had formal training although often they have extensive child-care experience and a background in early childhood education. Typically, full-time employed nannies will work 40–60 hours per week, usually unsupervised.
According to the International Nanny Association (INA) (www.nanny.org), you can look for a nanny in many places, including help-wanted ads in newspapers and magazines, bulletin boards and referrals from friends. These approaches can be time-consuming and also can result in negative experiences. The association suggests that you contact nanny-training programs about the availability of their graduates or that you take advantage of the services offered by nanny-placement agencies.
A placement agency is a service company that matches the skills and qualifications of nannies with the needs of families looking for in-home child care. The agency charges a fee to locate and screen nannies for you to consider hiring for your family. A reputable agency carefully will consider your needs and preferences when helping you find a suitable candidate. Placement fees range from $800 to $5,000 and should include a provision to replace the nanny or refund a portion of the fee if the placement does not work out within a certain period of time.
As part of its screening process, the agency verifies the nanny candidate’s personal and employment references as well as previous child-care experience. Many agencies also take nanny fingerprints, check for a criminal records, check the driving records and require a blood test, TB test and/or request a doctor’s statement that the candidate is in good health and free of contagious diseases. Some agencies also require psychological testing or evaluation. In the United States, the agency should verify that the candidate is an American citizen or is eligible to work legally in the country.
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