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July 6, 2021Service delivery in Catholic Charities child care and early learning centers continued in-person during the 2020-21 school year, and steps were taken to ensure families could engage in remote learning by providing laptops and internet connections for students and teachers.
In Middlesex County, two Catholic Charities early learning centers in New Brunswick opened fully in September and supported 300 preschool learners five full days a week throughout the pandemic. Following school district guidelines and the Tools of the Mind curriculum, full day preschool programs operated in New Brunswick by certified teaching staff for residents with children ages three and four.
In Somerset County, Catholic Charities partnered with the Hillsborough School District to increase services to families. In order to meet the half day hybrid schedule, hours were expanded for both before and after school schedules to support students in their continued learning. Additionally, because of the pandemic, the school district was able to expand their meal program to benefit all enrolled children. The district worked with Catholic Charities’ staff to offer full lunches through the Child and Adult Care Food Program at no cost to families whose children were enrolled.
In other counties, Catholic Charities child care programs are located in select school districts and offer a variety of programming including before school, after school, half day care, and summer camp programs. Overall, 1,438 children were enrolled in Catholic Charities' child care programs and early learning centers throughout the Diocese of Metuchen in 2020.
“Catholic Charities child care services have been a significant source of support to many families facing uncertainty throughout the Covid-19 crisis. We were able to provide programs throughout the school year on a hybrid half day schedule in the districts we serve as children and families returned to in person learning. Feedback from families confirmed their overwhelming confidence in our implementation of health and safety protocols to ensure their children’s wellbeing,” said Catholic Charities Service Area Director Krista Glynn. “As this school year ends, enrollment has already begun for the upcoming school year in addition to our full day summer program in Hillsborough, Somerset County,” she added.
For more information about Catholic Charities Child Care services, visit the Agency’s website at www.ccdom.org/child-care. Families will find program details and enrollment information, and school administrators will find information about how their district can partner to bring Catholic Charities child care programming to their schools.