KidConnectWith child care costs reaching up to 49% of the average single mother’s salary, many parents need assistance getting care. Unfortunately, many parents don’t know how to seek out assistance for child care costs, and don’t get onto subsidy waitlists until they’ve already had their child. These parents too often miss out on funding opportunities, or have too long of a wait ahead of them for subsidies to be of any help.

KidConnect aims to address this problem by guiding parents from their first pre-natal visit through when the child completes school. KidConnect will give parents timely child care information aimed at helping them make sure they are screened for all possible subsidies. KidConnect helps parents start planning early for child care early and will proactively support them as the child grows.

If she hadn’t gone to a pre-natal visit, Monica might have found out about KidConnect when she opened her pregnancy test, where a small pamphlet would encourage her to sign up for KidConnect.

At her prenatal visit, her doctor tells her about KidConnect and how it can help her prepare for her child’s care and education down the road. By signing up, Monica is guaranteed a KidConnect Baby Box full of clothes and toys for her new child—a nice bonus!

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The nurse walks her through the set up before she leaves. It’s quite simple: contact info, zip code, language preference, income range and her due date.

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Meet Monica. Monica is a 4 months pregnant with her first kid. She enjoys her job as a receptionist and participates in the community with her husband. Monica gets baby information from so many sources it can be difficult to keep track of what to do and when—especially when it comes to planning for the future.

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To get the process started, the KidConnector walked her through different types of providers right here in her neighborhood. She also checked to see if Monica’s family pre-qualified for subsidies to help cover the costs of care—and she did!

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KidConnect also asked her if she had received CalWorks in the last 24 months. Monica hadn’t, but if she had, she would have gotten a call making her aware of her CalWorks Stage 2 benefits and helping her claim them.

At 6 months, Monica gets a visit from a KidConnector who brings the anticipated Baby Box along with a child care guide. Monica hadn’t thought about child care yet—it seemed too far off. The KidConnector lets her know about potential hurdles when it comes to child care and how planning early can give her more flexibility.

Later Monica goes on to the KidConnect website to continue her search for a child care provider. She can see that providers have given a lot of information, like what language they speak, their hours and availability. She can also see professional CLASS and ECERS ratings as well as reviews from other parents. She likes getting this type of information to help her decide.

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But she gets busy and hasn’t made a decision about child care yet. KidConnect’s database shows that Monica has still not chosen a provider and prompts a text.

Monica calls KidConnect and talks with Anna about her options. Together they agree she should call the one Monica was most excited about when she looked at the website. Anna plans to check in again the following week. Monica feels better and contacts her provider to reserve a spot. She enters her choice in KidConnect.

As the baby’s due date approaches, Monica is notified that she received a subsidy. Monica is relieved to know that she has a child care spot as well as the help to pay for it.

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“Monica, have you selected a child care provider? Need help deciding? Call KidConnect at 415-333-3333.”

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A month after Monica’s delivery, Anna calls Monica to congratulate her on the baby and offer resources and support during the transition.

Periodically, Monica also gets a text reminder to update her information for subsidies and other important eligibility deadlines. KidConnect continues to track Monica’s child and sends bite-sized, relevant info over text about key milestones—from immunizations to registration to Preschool4All. When Monica meets other moms, she encourages them to use KidConnect so they don’t have to scramble to find care last minute.

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