Child Care and Parenting

 

 Work & Family Resources: We're Here for You
The above is the content of a program done in June 2009 that you may find helpful.

Bill HR 2298 increasing the cap of the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account from $5000 to $7500.

For more information on the bill:
http://www.samjohnson.house.gov/news/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=125435

To write to Congressman Neal to support the bill go to: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml (sometimes it has glitches)
or send an e-mail to ann.jablon@mail.house.gov  I was given this e-mail by Congressman Neal's office here in Springfield.

If you are looking for ideas as to how to word the e-mail, there is an example at a New Jersey website that supports the bill.
http://www.njsacc.org/wordpress/?p=1221

Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act

The average cost of a hearing aid, including fitting and follow-up treatment is $1800.00. Medicare and most insurance policies do not cover this cost.

The Hearing Aid Tax Credit legislation, if enacted, would provide a $500 tax credit PER hearing aid once every 5 years.  For more information and to urge your Senator and Representatives to support this bill, go to

http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org
 

Need child care?

Contact Cindy Duda at 782-1549 or e-mail
cduda@wnec.edu for information on these discounts.

Child Care Discounts for WNEC Employees & Students

MassMutual's Children's House
Wilbraham Rd
10% WNEC employee & student discount.

Springfield College Child Development Center
Our employees get the same discount as
their own employees.

KinderCare Learning Centers
Cooley Street Location
10% WNEC employee & student discount

Square One
(formerly Springfield Day Nursery)
Family care available as well as centers
5% WNEC employee & student discount

Please note that employees who have other child care subsidies,e.g., state programs, may not be eligible for the employee/student discount.

Are you a nursing mom?
Click here to see how we can help.

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DVD's and Books in HR

Now you can borrow some great DVDs and books
to help you balance work and home! FREE!
Click our logo above for a list of Work & Family-to-Go titles.

Books at D'Amour

The following books are available at D'Amour:

Born in our Hearts: Stories of Adoptions - book

The Day We Met You - book

Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale - book

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Websites by Category

General Care, Infant Care & Preschool - Assistance Programs - Safety - Parents of Teens & College Students

Children with Disabilities - Single Parents, Separated/Divorced Parents, & Step Parents

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren - Adoptive Parents - Fun & Educational Sites for Kids - Drugs, EAP, Domestic Violence, Parental Illness


 radKids Child Safety Program
Sponsored by Western New England College

Would your children know what to do to get away from a stranger?
Could they protect themselves from an aggressive dog?
Contact Judy Curran at jcurran@wnec.edu or x1420 to learn more.

Websites


General Care, Infant Care & Preschool

Mass Physican Profiles
Doctor's credentials, etc.

LaLeche League for nursing mothers.

Preschool Enrichment Team of Springfield

FindCareNow

Massachusetts Child Care

Massachusetts Dept. of Early Education and Care

Work & Family Spectrum

Assistance Programs

MassResources
Resource for Massachusetts residents in need of housing,
 food, health care, and other basic services. Also includes Health Care Proxy Form.

GovBenefits
Provides state by state listing of resources on food, health care, etc.

Safety

Safer Child

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Cyber Angels Parents

The Anti-Drug

SafeKids - Internet safety 

Parents of Teens & College Students

Ludlow Boys & Girls Club
Variety of year long programs for teens.

MCAS website

Safety On The Road

AAA Foundation for Safety
Order ZED Driving simulation DVD for your teens.

Massachusetts Child Labor Laws
Click to download their poster with details.

Parents: The Anti-Drug

Collegiate Choice
Distributor of videos for independent colleges

Tuition Exchange
See employee handbook for more information about this benefit.

Council of Independent Colleges
See employee handbook for more information about this benefit.

New England Board of Higher Education
New England tuition break at public colleges

College Board

College Parents of America

Children with Disabilities

ADA Information

Child & Youth Disabilities

Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic

Misunderstood Minds

The above links to a PBS program on learning disabilities
Please note we have the DVD in our Work & Family-to-Go collection.
Call x1204

Also of interest is a simulation ofwhat it's like to have a learning disability at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/reading.html

Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH)

So The World May Hear
The Starkey Hearing Foundation
Non-profit program assisting permanent U.S. residents who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and have limited financial resource to purchase hearing aids.

Single Parents, Separated/Divorced Parents, & Step Parents

Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council
More cost effective and civilized alternative to traditional divorce

Divorce Source

Fatherhood Initiative

Making Lemonade

 Adoptive Parents

National Adoption Center

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption


Click here to download an adoption fact sheet,
courtesy of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Click here for books on adoption at D'Amour.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Grandparents Info Center Link on AARP

http://www.aarp.org/families/grandparents/gic/a2004-01-16-grandparentsinfocenter.html

Grandparentagain

Recipes, community suppport, legal and medical info.

US Gov Made Easy

A wealth of information on federal and state programs.

Fun & Educational Sites for Kids

Note: While we evaluate these sites, we are not responsible for material
or links to other sites that are geared to adults. There is no substitute for parental supervision.

Yahooligans

Scholastic

Nickelodeon

Questacon: The National Science and Technology Centre

Funology

Drugs, EAP, Domestic Violence, Parental Illness

Parents: The Anti-Drug

ESI Employee Assistance Group
FREE, CONFIDENTIAL, assistance for you and famly members
Just call 413-785-4200 locally between 8:00 a.m. & 5:00 p.m .to schedule an appointment or
just call one of their two 24/7 800 numbers if you'd like to just talk
1-800-252-4555   1-800-225-2527
http://www.theeap.com/
Click here to download directions on how to access the EAP's website.

Massachusetts Victim Compensation

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SAFELINK 24 HOUR HOTLINE: 1-877-785-2020


 FREE Websites for Seriously Ill Patients, Families & Friends

You may be at home with a serious illness and can't handle all the
phone calls of well-meaning family and friends. Now there is an alternative.

The following organizations offer FREE websites for patients, families, and friends.
Now everyone can find out how you're doing and you can contact them when you're up to it.

Caringbridge The Status

Accommodations for Nursing Mothers

Today, many new mothers return to the workplace shortly after their babies' births, but still wish to nurse their babies when they go home.

Medical studies have shown that nursing newborns is advantageous to both mother and child. Statistics have shown that employers benefit as well. Children who have been nursed tend to be healthier, thus improving the employee's overall attendance and boosting the retention of these employees.
While some new mothers who return to work have the privacy of an enclosed office area, others do not. Mothers who anticipate needing a suitable accommodation should:

-Ask their manager to look into setting up a suitable location in their area, or
-Contact Career & Human Resources, which will work with Facilities to find a private location.

This request should be made at least a month before returning to work.

 

Resources are for educational purposes only.
Western New England College assumes no responsibility for information
used by viewers and participants.