Causes: Human Services

Mission: To support and improve the quality and availability of care for the young people of Hawaii.

Results: Government funding and contracts support some of PATCH's key programs and services. Government funding isn't enough to support all of our programs -- private funding and donations are making up the difference. So far, this year, fundraising efforts have been focused on a technology upgrade for our offices, as our previous system is defunct, and we are raising funds to support the rising needs of the lowest-income families, with programs to assist families to send their children to preschool, funding for extra training classes and recruitment services for child care professionals, funding for grants to child care business to purchase supplies and equipment, and more.

Target demographics: Families, children, child care professionals, and the community at large in Hawaii.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 10,000+

Geographic areas served: Hawaii, statewide.

Programs: PATCH is a community service organization dedicated to supporting Hawaii’s child care needs. We help families find the right child care. We offer FREE resources on choosing and paying for child care, child development, parenting, becoming a child care provider and other useful resources right at your fingertips.

Child and adult care food program: licensed family child care providers are eligible for this program which provides partial reimbursement for nutritious meals served to children while in a family child care setting. This federally funded program is supported by congress to ensure that all children in family day care homes have access to balanced and nutritious meals with the goal of improving their eating pattern and habits. The usda's child and adult care food program plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low income families. PATCH screens the income eligibility of providers and children and provides monthly reimbursement payments to the providers directly. PATCH provides access to nutritional resources, training and technical assistance. Providers also receive assistance in menu planning, basic sanitation as well as keeping accurate records for claiming reimbursements and tax purposes. In fye 6/30/2014, PATCH monitored the service of 713,448 meals to low-income children and supported 221 daycare homes to ensure nutritious foods.

Child care training program: PATCH offers more than 100 different free or low-cost training classes to child care professionals from all types of child care settings and other caregivers including informal child care providers and parents. All classes are aligned with standards of the states ask core areas and the subject areas of the national child development associate credential. Some classes are offered for continuing education units. Classes are held in a variety of locations on each island. Resource libraries with videos on a variety of child care topics are available at PATCH offices. Each quarter, PATCH publishes a training calendar full of current child care information and scheduled classes, which is distributed to professionals and the public. In fye 6/30/2014, PATCH offered 550 free classes in early care and education, which were attended by a total of 5,284 persons.

Other child care services to foster community awareness of the needs of children, parents, and child care providers. The registry program verified the credentials of 2,619 people working in preschools and daycare centers and counseled 59 people on careers in early care and education. The family child care recruitment program provided 511 people with technical assistance and support to start a home daycare business resulting in 276 new licensed child care spaces in Hawaii. The quality care program helped 237 daycare homes improve the quality of their child care which served 1,422 children.