Child Care Services

The State and Federal government has made funding available to assist qualified parents and guardians in meeting their child care expenses. Financial assistance is available for eligible low-income, working families. To be considered for funding, your application may be submitted to Wesley House along with documentation including proof of employment and /or training, and other earned or unearned income. Wesley House requires 6-weeks worth of paycheck stubs from working family members to determine your eligibility. Call toll free 877-595-5437 for details about eligibility guidelines and to make an appointment to apply.

In general, in order to qualify for financial assistance all adults in the household must work a minimum of 20 hours per week and have a gross household income that is no higher than 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines listed below. Once qualified, you can continue to receive financial assistance until your income reaches 200% of the guidelines.

Family Size	2 People	3 People	4 People	5 People	6 People
Maximum Income	$20,535	$25,755	$30,975	$36,195	$41,415

as of July 1, 2007

You may also apply for financial assistance on line by clicking on the following link: https://spe.schoolreadiness.org/pe/ . Your completed application will be submitted electronically and a Child Care Services Specialist will call you to verify your entry information. If you have any questions while entering your application, or if you just want information about child care referrals call Wesley House at 877-595-5437.

Resource and Referral Services – R&R

R&R and consumer information services are provided free to all families who contact Wesley House by phone or in person in search of child care options for their families. Child Care Service Specialists are available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., to assist families in every aspect of choosing and accessing quality child care programs throughout Monroe County. For information or to receive R&R services by phone, call the toll free telephone number at 1- 877-595-5437.

Families may also access services in person at the following three locations:

1304 Truman Avenue, Key West, phone 305-809-5000
2796 Overseas Highway, Marathon, phone 305-289-2675
175 Wrenn Street, Tavernier, phone 305-853-3518

To contact a Family Service Specialist by e-mail, click here: Child Care Programs

Wesley House Child Care Resource and Referral is part of the statewide Child Care Resource and Referral Network funded by the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) Office of Early Learning. You may contact them at 1-866-357-3239 (1-866 FL Ready). The funding for child care services in Monroe County is contracted to Wesley House through the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe. You may contact the local Monroe County Coalition office at 305-296-5557, or by email at mwilliams@elcmdm.org

Local R&R's offer free information and referral services to all families seeking quality early care and school readiness programs and out of school time solutions. R&R's also assist in the recruitment, startup and support of new and returning child care providers and promote quality, availability and affordability of services in our communities.

The CCR&R Network maintains the only comprehensive database of child care, school readiness and school age programs and service providers throughout the state of Florida.
Wesley House maintains a database of all legal child care options in Monroe County to match the needs of children to programs that meet those needs. Wesley House does not recommend programs, rather, we provide unbiased computer generated referrals to meet the needs of individual children. Our comprehensive computer data base of providers contains many types of legal early childhood programs including:

registered family child care homes
licensed family child care homes
licensed and exempt centers
faith based programs
school based programs
summer camps
before and after school options

We match programs with family needs and give detailed information about individual programs in the form of referrals. Parents contact and visit programs to interview the providers and review their quality checklist.
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There are no charges/fees associated with obtaining a provider listing in the Child Care R&R Database or for referrals to a program. If you are asked to provide a payment for a referral or if you are a provider and are asked to pay for a listing, please call the Florida Statewide Resource & Referral Network office at 1-888-FLCHILD.

Choose Wisely ! Choosing child care is one of the most important decisions you will make for your child. A good setting is one that provides the environment and experiences that your child requires to learn new skills and develop socially . Do Your Homework – Make appointments with prospective caregivers and, if possible, take your child with you to the interview. Plan on spending at least 30-60 minutes for each visit.
Think Positive – Look for a positive caring relationship between the caregiver(s) and the children. The environment should be cheerful, and above all, safe. The program should include experiences and activities you consider important. You want to choose a program that fits your ideas about parenting and learning as well as your child care needs.
Be a Smart Shopper - Caregivers should be qualified and well organized. Their licensing standards should be up-to-date and they should provide you with their written policies and procedures regarding illness, communicable diseases, and other emergencies.

The Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services is a resource for:
Families with children who have disabilities and/or special health care needs
The Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services can be accessed at www.centraldirectory.org

Early care and education providers needing information, consultation services and/or technical assistance in serving all children can contact the Wesley House Inclusion Specialist or the Wesley House Warm Line at 1-877-595-5437, extension 231..

Additionally, consumer information is given about community health and social service agency services available throughout Monroe County. Families are also given information about financial assistance and the cost of child care.

Voluntary Pre-K

Each child who resides in the state of Florida who will have attained the age of 4 years on or before September 1 of the school year is eligible for the Voluntary Pre-kindergarten Education Program during that school year. The child remains eligible until the beginning of the school year for which the child is eligible for admission to kindergarten in a public school under s. 1003.21 (1)(a)2. or until the child is admitted to kindergarten, whichever occurs first. For more information about the legislation and application process for parents and providers, visit their web site at www.vpkflorida.com

Wesley House is contracted with the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade Monroe to provided VPK services in Monroe County. You may call toll free 1-800-595-5437 for information or stop by any of the Wesley House offices listed above.

Provider Services

Training and Conferences

Wesley House Family Services offers a wide variety of professional development and training opportunities for the Department of Children and Families licensing requirements and for quality enhancement of early childhood professionals in Monroe County. In addition, Wesley House offers continuing quality improvement and support for school readiness providers through technical assistance and trainings, both community based and on provider sites.