Join Melissa Fox, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Cottie Petrie-Norris and Dave Min on September 29, 2020, for a Conversation on Early Child Care and the Education Crisis in Orange County!

Please join me, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Cottie Petrie-Norris, and Dave Min for on Tues., September 29, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. for conversation on early child care the education crisis in Orange County!

The conversation is hosted by Early Childhood OC, Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children (OCAEYC), Pretend City Children’s Museum, and Child360.

This online event is free. The link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81915074314.

What: Conversation on early child care the education crisis in Orange County.
When: Tues., September 29, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Online. Link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81915074314.

Early Childhood OC is a community collaborative that was formed to develop Orange County’s Early Childhood Policy Framework in order to ensure that young children reach their developmental potential and are ready to succeed in school and life. The Framework ensures adults are knowledgeable, nurturing, responsive and interact effectively with other adults, children and the family unit and environments that impact children are safe supportive, stable and healthy. Through implementation of the Framework, Orange County will attain economic and social benefits.

Pretend City Children’s Museum is “the world in a nut-shell”, designed for children to learn how the real world works while engaging their curiosities and imaginations. The museum is a child-size interconnected city built to balance rich educational intention with boundless fun, where children can assume various real-world roles and let their creativity rule.  Through interactive exhibits and activities facilitated by our trained professional staff, children learn foundational math, reading and science skills while fostering curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. They see how academic concepts have real-life application by learning in our unique, hands-on environment. Located at 29 Hubble Irvine, CA 92618. For more information, call 949-428-3900.

Child360 is a leading nonprofit working toward a future where every child has the educational opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Our name reflects our 360 degree approach to improve and expand the vital early learning opportunities our young children need, by working alongside educators, families, partner organizations, policy makers and our communities.

To learn more about my priorities regarding education, please see http://votemelissafox.com/priorities.

Child Care is Now Available for Essential Workers in Orange County!

Early Childhood OC is working with agencies across Orange County to compile a searchable database of currently open child care centers and family child care homes serving children aged birth – 12.

This database will be updated every Friday.

To find available child care, click here.

Governor Newsom’s executive order allows essential workers to access child care payment assistance, regardless of their income, while schools are closed because of COVID-19.

Children’s Home Society of California (CHS) has three Child Care Payment Programs that provide subsidized child care services to eligible families: Alternative Payment, CalWORKs, and Family Child Care Home Education Network programs.

Through these programs, in Fiscal Year 2018, CHS provided services to over 9,700 children and over 5,500 families. In all, more than 2,099,000 days of care were provided to children across California.

To find out more about child care payment assistance, click here.

If you operate a child care facility, are currently open, and would like it listed in the data base, click here.

The City of Irvine also has several hundred child care spots available for essential workers.  To find out more, click here.

COVID-19 Notes

I’ve added a new “COVID-19 Community Resources and Information Page to my blog, with links to up-to-date and reliable resources and information from federal, state, and county sources, as well as the cities and public schools in the 68th Assembly District.

I have also decided to use my Assembly campaign phone-banking and community outreach resources to call seniors and people in need of critical services in the cities of Assembly District 68 — Lake Forest, Tustin, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim Hills and Villa Park — to ask how they’re doing during this stressful time and to see whether they need any help, including food assistance and mental health assistance and other community resources.  Our volunteer callers will be able to provide information and connect seniors with any community assistance or resources they might need. Read the story in the O.C. Register.

If you would like to join our “Supporting Seniors” virtual phone-bank and be a volunteer caller, please contact Carson at carson@votemelissafox.comSee our event page on Facebook HERE.

If you need help yourself or have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at melissa@melissafoxlaw.com or call me at 949-683-8855.