4Cs Update: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) &
Our Community
March 22, 2020
Dear 4Cs clients and partners,
I hope that this email finds you well. I wanted to quickly update you on the status of 4Cs of Alameda County's offices, programs, and services as we adhere to and navigate the shelter-in-place order in Alameda County (you can find details about specific programs below). While 4Cs of Alameda County's offices are now CLOSED until at least April 8th or when the local shelter-in-place order is lifted, 4Cs staff are still hard at work remotely to respond to your needs and making sure that our families with parents working in critical roles in the county still have access to child care. We have a robust Pinterest page with lots of activity ideas to keep little ones busy and learning through play at home during this unprecedented time. 4Cs staff are working to make sure that child care providers are receiving the support they need as well including making sure payments are mailed out for providers caring for little ones on our Child Care Payment Programs. In-person support programs for our community members have been put on hold, but we do have helpful information for folks who still need tax preparation assistance, our CalFresh and HPN staff are standing by to help, and you can still take the Census from the comfort of your own home. You can find a COVID-19 Resources page on our website and I urge to to use the links provided as tools to stay informed on this ever-changing time.

Finally, please be kind to yourself. Practicing self-care is so critical at this time. Call a friend, take a walk, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. This too, shall pass and I have faith we will all come together as an even stronger community of neighbors and friends on the other side.
 
Be well,

Renee S. Herzfeld
Executive Director
4Cs Programs and Services
Child Care Providers: We hope you are taking care of you and your family’s health. We know this may be a worrisome time to be providing care, and your Resource and Referral agency is here to support you. As you may know, child care facilities are considered “essential services” during the Shelter in Place order in Alameda County, but it is up to you to decide whether or not you would like to stay open. Please consider reviewing these resources to support your decision-making. 
Child Care Provider Resources to Support Decision Making
In addition to utilizing our regular referral system for parent referral requests, R&Rs are working on prioritizing child care slots for healthcare workers. If you currently have the capacity to provide back up emergency child care to healthcare workers, please fill out one of the following surveys: For CENTERS:  https://forms.gle/Tk6qYa5sMqqNPim16
For FAMILY CHILD CARE:  https://forms.gle/hTsBTWfzS6BWrK6i9
For ECE STAFF and FFN PROVIDERS:  https://forms.gle/rzj5YDAtD98afpLm7

4Cs is working hard to keep in touch with providers and stay up to date with openings and closures. Please call us at 510.582.2182 to update us with changes to your programs during this time.

Child Care Payment Assistance Participants (Parents and Providers) : 4Cs of Alameda County will continue to process child care payments as usual during this time. Providers caring for children in 4Cs Alternative Payment Programs, please see our latest announcement with guidance on making sure you continue to get reimbursed for care here. Parents, you can view our latest imformational letter for you here . If your child care needs to be changed during this time, please contact your Payment Specialists directly (you can find their contact information here ).

Parents: If you are in need of child care referrals, please reach out to our Resource and Referral team . Take a moment to visit our COVID-19 Resources page for information about free meals, learning opportunities, and more.

Hayward Promise Neighborhoods: HPN navigation and support services are still available, however Parent Promise Academy, Play & Learn groups, and the Census 2020 workshop scheduled for March 16th have been cancelled until further notice. These program cancellations are due to the recommendations set forth by Hayward Unified School District as they take place at HUSD sites. Please contact our Hayward Promise Neighborhood staff at hpn@4c-alameda.org if there is anything that you need during this time.

Community Support Services: In-person VITA free tax preparation and filing services are on hold, however our VITA staff have gathered virtual tax help opportunities and shared it on our VITA webpage . Our Community "Closets" are currently closed and are not accepting donations at this time. Our COVID-19 Resource page has links to resources for families looking for help and support during this shelter-in-place period. The Census 2020 in-person assistance at 4Cs is currently unavailable, but our team is standing by at 510-584-3105 for those who need Census 2020 assistance. Everyone can go online now and fill out their census.
4Cs of Alameda County www.4calameda.org