You have a child with a chronic health condition, a disability or behavioral challenges who needs child care...

Finding a Provider for Children ages 12 and Younger

There are several ways to find a child care provider for your son/daughter with a disability.  You can:

• Ask around - check with friends, relatives, and neighbors.
• Ask someone at your church, school, or workplace.
• Look in the yellow pages under “Child Care”.
• Look in a local newspaper.
• Check bulletin boards at your bank or grocery store.

What kinds of special needs information can NDRR provide?

• Information about special training that a provider has received (i.e. diabetes)
• Information about accessibility of the home
• Information about experience in behavior intervention

Finding care for children ages 13 and older is not easy in North Dakota.  Many families rely on relatives they have trained or hire a teacher or teacher’s aid that works with their child after school.  As your child grows, finding a suitable arrangement can become more difficult.  Here are some facts about North Dakota services:

• Child care providers are licensed to provide care up through the age of 12. Most children 13 and older stay home alone if both parents work.
• You can hire a neighbor, relative, or friend to provide your child with care. In that case, YOU become an employer and must meet all federal, state and local laws that apply to employers, such as payroll taxes, social security, etc.
• The North Dakota Department of Human Services provides ELIGIBLE families with family subsidy dollars to pay for some excess child care costs. Theoretically, all child care costs for children over the age of 12 are considered to be excess.  However, the funds are allocated to each of eight regions and must be shared with all eligible families in that region.  Most regions do not have enough funds to reimburse families for the total cost of their child care. Contact the Human Service Center in your region to find out if you are eligible.
• Some after school programs may operate in your community.  Options include School and Community Learning Centers (funded by a federal grant in some school districts) (web site will be done Spring of '02), child care programs operated by the YMCA,  the YWCA or by area churches.  These providers typically serve children up to age 12. 
• After school sports through schools or city recreation leagues are a better option for some children than staying home alone.
• Some schools offer study clubs after school - check with your local district.
• Each region in North Dakota has a Children’s Services Coordinating Committee (CSCC) that provides grant funds to benefit all children.  Child care providers have used these funds (by writing a very simple 2-3 page grant) to fence in a yard or make a home accessible. 
• The State Council on Developmental Disabilities has provided funds to cover some start-up costs for community child care centers that are designed to include children with developmental disabilities. Funding depends on the amount of funds available and the types of requests that must be considered, as well as current goals/objectives of the council.