The Emergency Child Care Bridge Program helps two groups. First, it helps families who want to take in a child from foster care but need help paying for child care. Second, it helps young parents who are in foster care and need child care for their own children.
The program gives short-term child care vouchers and connects families with a child care helper who can help find care and other support.
It also offers special training called Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) for child care providers. This training helps them learn how to care for children who have been through hard or scary times. This way, they can make safe and loving places for children.
The Bridge Program is not a guarantee for everyone. It is short-term help given when a child is placed in a home. It works like a “bridge” to longer-term child care. The program helps make sure the child’s new home is safe and stable, and gives caregivers support to balance work and family while caring for the child.
