The California Emergency Child Care Bridge is a first of its kind program designed to assist caregivers tasked with caring for a foster child. The program helps stabilize foster children in the best possible settings while ensuring caretakers have adequate support to balance their work and home lives. The program was created in 2017 to connect the child welfare agency and early care and education systems in counties across California. It includes child care vouchers, child care navigators, and trauma-informed care (TIC) training and coaching for child care providers. The program supports foster families with children aged 0 to 12, and youth with exceptional needs up to age 21.
Since October 2020, more than 20,700 children under the age of five were placed in California’s foster care system. When a child is placed in foster care due to maltreatment, priority for placement is given to a family member. But relatives are often unprepared for becoming a caregiver, especially when the child has experienced a traumatic event. Over 1,700 trainings were held to support TIC approaches and 15,000 providers participated in the trainings. The training and information provided through TIC trainings and coaching enables many caregivers to better meet the child’s needs. Child Care Resource Center surveyed participants of the program and found that respondents widely reported reduced levels of emotional and financial stress because of the program.
“The baby, she’s developmentally progressed,” one participant shared. “I was able to keep her because of [the Bridge Program]. It was less stress for me. I was in school, working, and having a foster baby. [The Bridge Program] was so beneficial.”
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