JCC In-Home Childcare Training Expands to Include Jefferson County

Jefferson Community College (JCC) has partnered with several community organizations to address a shortage of qualified childcare in the area. Working together with Community Action Planning Council (CAPC) and the Watertown Small Business Development Center (SBDC), an accelerated program to educate, train and enable individuals to start their own in-home childcare business has been developed. The North Country Regulated Home Day Care Training Bootcamp was initiated by Lewis County Economic Development and Lewis County Planning Department as they worked to come up with a solution for the urgent childcare need in Lewis County. Originally a plan for Lewis County residents, Jefferson County has now joined the initiative and orientation sessions have been added at the JCC location in Watertown, making the program open to Lewis County and Jefferson County residents.

Jefferson County Economic Development CEO, David J. Zembiec says, “Employers across the region have cited the lack of childcare as an impediment to their recruitment efforts. It is an economic issue as well as a quality of life issue. In addition to addressing a critical need, this program will also create economic opportunity for the providers as they establish new home-based businesses.” The program begins with an orientation session in June and then health and safety training with CAPC and entrepreneurial training with the SBDC in July and August. Advanced entrepreneurial training sessions will begin in September, followed by a credit-bearing course at JCC, Introduction to Early Childhood Care & Education (ECD 101), which begins in January 2022. Students in this free program will also be able to take advantage of a $360 childcare stipend to help with those costs during classes.

“Collaborating with these organizations to quickly address a community’s specific needs and provide innovative solutions is a testament to the power of workforce partnerships in the North Country and the value of having Jefferson as the community's college in our region,” said Dr. Maryrose Eannace, Interim Vice-President for Academic Affairs. “Successful completion of this program will help provide support to the economic recovery of the area by adding entrepreneurs to the community and by helping residents get the childcare they need in order to work.”

Acting New York State SBDC Director Tammy Morrow echoed Eannace’s sentiment, stating, "This innovative collaboration between SUNY’s Jefferson Community College, Lewis and Jefferson Counties and the Watertown SBDC is going to enable childcare entrepreneurs to receive expert instruction in child development and step-by-step assistance on the business end of providing home-based childcare. We are thrilled with this initiative and hope to partner with other communities throughout the state to offer childcare start-ups the skills necessary to run a successful business."

Registration and program information can be found on JCC’s events calendar or by contacting CAPC at 315.782.4900 ext 240.

• The orientation sessions for Lewis County will be held at the Lewis County Education Center in Lowville, NY on June 8, 12 and 16, 2021
• The orientation sessions for Jefferson County will be held at JCC on June 15, 19 and 23, 2021
  
  Virtual orientation arrangements are available as well. Space is limited so signing up early is recommended. 

About Jefferson Community College:
One of 30 community colleges supervised by the State University of New York, Jefferson Community College is the community’s leading resource for leading better lives, offering 40+ associate degrees for career preparation or for transfer to a 4-year college; certificate programs; online learning; business and industry training; and cultural enrichment opportunities for the entire Watertown/Fort Drum region.