Family Care Solutions, Inc, a non-profit organization, promotes economic independence, educational awareness and social responsibility to improve the quality of life for families with children. The organization is the only community-based agency in Philadelphia that offers child care assistance to help eliminate the financial barrier of the high cost of child care for student-parents in higher education.
In its infancy stages, FCS operated under the umbrella of the New Beginnings program of Resources for Human Development, Inc. which provides space and technical assistance to fledgling social service agencies. In 1993, the agency published the first of four printed directories, Who's Who in Child Care in the Delaware Valley (WWICC). It was later developed as an interactive and searchable website to make child care information more accessible to working families.
In 1998, FCS created the FCS Child Care Scholarship to help low-income single mothers in college with children under the age-of-five, pay for child care so they could continue their education. With seed money from Avon and support from local child care providers listed in WWICC, FCS made its first awards to eight single mothers.
In 2001, FCS learned about the federal program, Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS) funded by the U.S. Department of Education to address the needs of student-parents pursuing a postsecondary education. Using the FCS Child Care Scholarship as a model program, the organization pioneered a unique method of dispersing the CCAMPIS grant to leverage assets and expertise to assist colleges and universities in helping student-parents with the challenges of accessing affordable quality child care. FCS has since, partnered with ten colleges and universities to award over $2 million in grants and scholarships to help over 500 student parents continue their college education. Providing these support services promote higher education and earlier childhood education, impacting at least two generations.
Today, the organization operates two programs—the FCS Child Care Scholarship and CCAMPIS programs. The organization is currently developing Yes Mommy Can Mentoring and Summer Camp Program for teen mothers. This program will begin in 2010.
Sherrill W. Mosee, Founder & President and the Board of Directors envision FCS programs expanding to other metropolitan regions over the next several years.
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