Hellobee Boards

We are on the Peninsula so it might not be exactly the same, but I would recommend reaching out to the fostering community first. I’m not sure what their range is, but Help One Child can provide a list of daycares/preschools that take foster kids and might be able to walk you through the process. They are a non-profit who works with foster/adoptive families so they would be able to help no matter where you are in the process. If they’re not on the North Bay I would expect there to be some kind of equivalent organization or you could try reaching out directly to the county.

There are way too many options to just start cold calling!

@Mrs. Turtle: one thing about public preschools is usually there aren't enough spots for everyone so each school distract has a different system it might be income based but it might be a lottery system. In our area it was a combination of income threshold and also first priority to children who didn't speak english as a first language. Keep in mind the income thresholds can be very low so even though you aren't working you may still not qualify for assistance.

They could possibly qualify for free or discounted Headstart if they have any developmental delays from due to foster care. Most of my friends who adopted from foster care went that route, even if they had the child from an extremely early age, you know there are still lots of things that can set them back.

Mostly my friends' kids had issues of hearing loss, gross motor concerns, sensory concerns, and/or a speech impediment. All of those things qualified them for Headstart. I'm talking about 4-5 kids, 3 families.

Join the Main Street Mamas-North Bay Facebook group. I’m in the SF version and it’s been great for childcare searches.

@Mrs. Turtle: They just had an evaluation done by someone that came to their house and observed their child for a period of time. Not sure of more details than that. I believe they requested the evaluation through CPS or through the Early Intervention program by the state.

@Mrs. Turtle: when I called I had LO’s current center to compare it to, but I asked about.

Teacher/ student ratio and how many students per class
Extracurricular available at additional cost, but on-site
Outside time
Snack/ Lunch/ Nap schedule, which is helping me plan how early I drop off and pick up
What are kids in his current class doing academically?
What’s the process for moving to the next class
Was potty training required/ what kind of support do they offer
Dress code, some places required uniforms
How is media used/ screen time
What’s served for snacks, lunch
Closings besides major holidays
Security of the school
Sunscreen and big screen procedure
How is problematic behavior handled

Basically anything that you can think of that’s important to you and that you can use to compare if he center is a good fit vs another then it’s fair to ask.