‘We get them what they need for their children’s sake’
Kasandra Otto, 36, is the manager of business operations at Child Care Resources in Neptune, New Jersey. She coordinates scheduling of programs, budget planning and establishing connections with the community and private businesses to help with funding.
This profile is part of the series, “The New Jersey 37,” which focuses on residents making up the 37 percent of households in state that cannot afford basic needs such as health care, housing, food, child care, and transportation
Scott Jagarnauth: What does Child Care Resources exactly do?
Kasandra Otto: We handle referrals for parents for their kid’s needs. We help parents find a child care provider, either being at home or center-based. We keep our website pretty updated as well, so you can check it out and see whatever else we offer. One of the main things we do is tutor parents about different types of child care programs and what is best for them. I’m talking about which centers are closest to them and what before and after school programs they can enroll their children in.
SJ: Can you get more specific about tutoring parents?
KO: We teach parents about “quality care.” In other words, what’s best for their children. We teach parents that they should be observant about what child care program is best for them and their families. We of course guide them on what’s the best plan of action based on their financial situation. We try to help them as much as possible. I know it doesn’t seem that exciting in here because it’s “take your child to work day,” but it gets crazy around here sometimes. There’s different criteria for different parents but we get them what they need for their children’s sake. Then we help them pay for child care necessities.
SJ: What year did CCR start up?
KO: We’ve been open for 22 years. In 1995, that’s when we became independent because we were part of United Way. United Way is an affiliation of ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed). Our demographic deals with the Neptune area and Monmouth County.
SJ: How does the funding work?
KO: We got the CCBG (Child Care Block Grant) grant last year so that’s been covering a lot of the costs. It’s my job to look for other grants for the upcoming year and private donations. If we don’t keep up with payments, we can be taken over by another organization and our independent status would be gone. We’re good on payments though. We’re lucky here, we have directors that are on top of it. The grant helps us also teach teachers about quality care, which is a big push for the grant and our organization because teachers are a huge influence on the children when they’re young.
SJ: Do you charge people anything for child care resources or programs?
KO: It depends on the workshop, most cases we do not. For our CPR classes, we charge a $55 fee.
SJ: Has there been an increase or decrease in applicants at CCR?
KO: Oh, we definitely have more and more people showing up on a monthly basis. There’s usually 100 to 200 walk-ins a month but we’ve steadily increased. In April, we hit an all-time high of having around 700 walk-ins. I think we’re going to have about a 1,000 walk-ins next month if it keeps going at this rate.
