Preschools & Child Care (Shasta & Tehama)

The Certificated Child Care Programs assist eligible families in paying for child care services for children up to age thirteen. Children may be served beyond age thirteen if there is a documented special need. Families must meet income eligibility guidelines, work or live in Shasta and Tehama County and need child care because they are working, seeking work or enrolled in an approved education or training program. Help with child care may also be available for families who are seeking permanent housing, working with Child and Family Services toward reunification or if a parent is ill and needs child care for part of the day (must be verified by a doctor).

Eligible families may choose either a licensed child care center or preschool, a licensed family day care home or a "TrustLine" registered licensed exempt provider.

General Alternative Payment Program (Shasta & Tehama) is available to any parent who is income eligible and needs child care while they are working, seeking work, attending an approved education or training program, seeking permanent housing, are incapacitated or referred by Child and Family Services.

CalWORKS Stage I Child Care Program (Shasta) is a Health and Human Services Child Care Program for parents participating in Welfare to Work activities and are referred from the CalWORKS Program.

CalWORKS Stage II Child Care Program (Shasta & Tehama) is available to parents who have received TANF benefits for themselves and their children in the past twenty-four (24) months prior to the application and need child care for working, seeking work, education or parental incapacity.

CalWORKS Stage III Child Care Program (Shasta & Tehama) is available to parents who are enrolled in Stage II at the time the twenty-four (24) months of eligibility in Stage II has expired.

Our Early Childhood Services California State Preschool Program is now enrolling for Full and Part day preschool programs located at several locations in Shasta County! Children who are between the ages of 2.9 and 5 years (not eligible for kindergarten) old will have a quality preschool experience for up to 3-8 hours per day. We look forward to serving your family in our preschool programs.

Early Childhood Services provides enriching learning experiences at no or low cost to income eligible families with children ages 24 months to 5 years old in high quality part-day or full-day preschool programs. 
Our Preschool Program Philosophy

Our State Preschool programs maintain the standard of high quality preschool classrooms. High quality early childhood education builds on what children already know and can do. We provide materials and experiences that are challenging, but allow children to self-discover on their own with little adult support. This is defined as developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Developmentally appropriate practice involves:

• Setting learning goals for children that are challenging but achievable with high quality teacher interactions.

• Teachers pay attention to each child’s unique  interests, abilities and understanding.

• Classrooms have a balance between large group experiences and teacher facilitated activities that allow children choice in how they explore and share what they know and want to know more about. Child selected activities are interest based and open ended to allow for individualized creativity.

• Teachers are involved with children’s activities, using their interactions to support children in the construction of their own learning. 

• Children are free to make their own choices of where to explore materials or play with in the classroom. 

• Teachers have clear classroom expectations that support children’s development and autonomy. 
   

Program Goals

1. Relationships: The program promotes positive relationships between children and families to support each child’s individuality, self concept and sense of belonging to their community. The program fosters each child’s ability to contribute as a responsible member of society. 

2. Curriculum: The program implements a curriculum that is consistent with its goals for children and promotes learning and growth in the following areas: social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive. 

3. Teaching: The program uses a variety of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate practices that enhance each child’s learning. 

4. Assessment: The program uses a variety of assessment strategies to provide information on children’s learning and development. These assessments occur with family partnership and awareness of the cultural contexts in which children are developing. The program makes assessment-based  decisions about children in their care, to improve teaching practices and facilitate classroom enhancement. 

5. Health: The program promotes the health and nutrition of children. The program has practices that protect families, children and staff  from illness. 

6. Qualifications: The program hires, and supports/trains a teaching staff that has the qualifications, knowledge and professional commitment to promote developmentally appropriate practices for children and to support families’ diverse needs and interests. 

7. Families: The program establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with each child’s family. These relationships are sensitive to family structure, language, culture and beliefs. Teachers listen to families’ goals and concerns for their child and allow active participation by families in the classroom. Teachers share regular communication with families about a child’s progress, successes and areas of support. 

8. Community Partnerships: The program establishes relationships with various community members to support the child’s growth and development.

9. Leadership and Management: The program effectively implements processes, procedures and systems that support staff longevity and strong program management so all children, and families  have high-quality experiences. 

The Shasta County Office of Education, Early Childhood Services (ECS) is operated on a non-discriminatory basis. Equal treatment and access is given without regard to race, sex, differing abilities, gender identity, religion, language or national origin. 

The Childcare Payment and Waitlist Eligibility Screening is a waitlist for the Alternative Payment Program and the SCOE Preschool Program. These programs provide financial assistance towards the cost of child care for eligible families. Families who have the lowest income and have been on the waitlist the longest are served first, unless a referral is received from Child Protective Services (CPS) for a child who is at risk of abuse or neglect.  Children at risk are the highest priority.  The wait varies. Unfortunately, it is not possible to give an approximate time. Enrollment is offered when funding becomes available.  Placement on the waitlist is not a guarantee of services.Placement on the eligibility list is not a guarantee of services.

For more information, or to obtain an application contact our office at (530) 225-2999 or randr@shastacoe.org.

Shasta County Referral Utility

Click here to search for child care. This will open in a new tab. 

Haga clic aquí para buscar cuidado de niños. Esto se abrirá en una nueva pestaña. 

單擊此處搜索托兒服務。 這將在新頁打開。 
 

Welcome to the ECS Child Care Referral Utility. The online referral access is for both Shasta County and Tehama County as a convenience to you. Use the below referral utility depending on which county best suits your childcare needs.

If you have any questions or concerns using the referral tools, please don't hesitate to contact our offices for assistance. 

Shasta County: 530-225-2999
Tehama County: 530-529-3131

Another online resource for finding a child care provider is My Child Care Plan.  This website has a mapping feature to help identify where the child care provider is located as well as tools for choosing the right child care option for your child(ren).

Tehama County Referral Utility
 

Click here to search for child care. This will open in a new tab. 

Haga clic aquí para buscar cuidado de niños. Esto se abrirá en una nueva pestaña. 

單擊此處搜索托兒服務。 這將在新頁打開。 

Welcome to the Shasta County Office of Education substitute system for our county run programs.

Using ReadySub, employees can quickly accomplish routine tasks such as reporting absences and reviewing their schedules.

Substitutes will receive calls from the system and be given the opportunity to accept jobs. They can also log into the system to find available jobs as well as retrieve jobs.