Thursday, January 22, 2009

New Childcare Cooperative in Sunset Park

There is a new option for child care in Brooklyn, and it comes from Sunset Park!

Beyond Care is supported by the Center for Family Life. It is the third cooperative business that comes out of the Center. The other two are Si Se Puede! We Can Do It! - a cooperative of cleaners, and We Can Fix It! - a cooperative providing home repair services. See below for more information about the Child Care Cooperative.

BeyondCare has 22 members with experience as babysitters, nannies, camp counselors, and afterschool program employees. All are mothers themselves, committed to providing safe, engaging care that goes beyond basic to help children thrive.

As a cooperative business, BeyondCare offers living wage jobs in a safe and healthy environment, as well as social supports and educational opportunities for its members. BeyondCare members have completed eight weeks of training in:

Child Development
Safety in the home
CPR (NY Fire Department course)
Health and Nutrition (Cornell University Cooperative Extension course)

BeyondCare offers competitive rates for full and part-time child care, as well as group child care for meetings and parties. Unlike many child care agencies, 100% of the fee charged goes to the person who does the work. BeyondCare members work for themselves and are motivated not only by their love of children and need to earn a living, but also by a commitment to fairness in wages and treatment.

Through our Adult Employment Services, Center for Family Life continues to provide training and support for BeyondCare members and helps them connect to educational opportunities, including ESL classes.

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