Nancy Mullins is passionate about running her in-home day care.
“I’ll keep doing it until they’re pushing me in the wheelchair,” the Valley Trails resident said as she watched three of her tots play with a train set in a playroom in her home.
Mullins’ typical day starts at the 6 o’clock hour as parents drop off their children before they head off to work. She cares for up to eight children at a time, ranging in age from infants to grade school age. It’s a labor of love she’s cultivated for the past three decades. Her two children are grown, a son in his early 30s and a daughter in college.
“I have had the greatest kids over the years, and that’s why I’ve done this for so long,” she said.
The business found her. When she was living in a condo complex, she used to baby-sit neighbors’ kids. Soon enough, she knew three families all having children at the same time who needed someone to care for them while they were at work. Thus, Mullins Day Care was born.
Each year, she keeps up to date with her child care license, getting CPR training, fingerprinting and partaking in the numerous workshops and classes offered by Child Care Links, a local nonprofit agency that acts as a link between the government and families looking for child care.
Finding child care can be a daunting and emotional experience. With so many options and price points, parents may have a challenging time choosing a provider. Child Care Links has an office in Pleasanton and its role is to give parents a guide to local providers, give training and support to providers and families and offer financial assistance to those who need it.
The average costs of full-time child care in the Tri-Valley area for a single infant is $215 per week, according to Child Care Links, which can break down average costs by neighborhood. Services range from family child care, such as Mullins’; public and private child care centers, full and part-time programs; and infant, preschool and extended care programs.
Child care centers such as Kindercare, Early Years and Kidango provide care in a large group setting where the children are grouped by their age or development level. Family home care, in contrast, can include children of various ages in a smaller home setting.
In Pleasanton alone, there are 102 child care providers, according to Sara Gonzalez, a resource and referral specialist at Child Care Links.
Because of the economic recession, Gonzalez said there has been a steep drop in the number of calls from people interested in child care.
“Our child care referrals have dropped tremendously,” she said. “There are a lot more families that are working different hours or different shifts so parents can stay home with the children during the day and then swing shift or even graveyard (shift) for the other parent.”
Child Care Links was founded in the Tri-Valley in 1976 and specializes in providing subsidies for those who are eligible for financial assistance.
Gonzalez said it’s important for parents to do their homework–and that means contacting the state’s Community Care Licensing division, which approves child care licenses and handles complaints made against a provider.
“A lot of times, the parents will get a referral list from us and just go out and look at the facility and make a decision,” she said. “We always refer them to contact Community Care Licensing and do a background check on the provider. The Community Care Licensing is only a phone call away and they will give you a background check on any incidents that have happened in the facility or child care home.”
Mullins herself has been told by her clients of their experiences with bad child care providers.
“You really have to check them out before you decide,” she said of in-home day care providers. “I recommend coming to the home at different times of the day to see what they are doing. You should be able to come over any time you want to see your child. Just because they have a license doesn’t mean they’re good.”
Mullins is a member of the Valley Family Child Care Association, which also offers referrals of providers who are members of the organization in the Tri-Valley area.
While supply is meeting the demand in Pleasanton for child care, Gonzalez said there is a need for more child care providers who offer transportation to and from school. She said there are a couple of areas in town where there isn’t much offered, such as the Lydiksen Elementary School area.
Child Care Links
1020 Serpentine Lane, Ste. 102, Pleasanton
Phone: 417-8733
Referral Line is open from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parents can call the agency’s toll free number at 800-540-9585 or request referrals by accessing the agency’s website at www.childcarelinks.org.
Community Care Licensing
Parents can access information about any licensed provider by contacting the state Community Care Licensing Division at 510-622-2602. Visit www.ccld.ca.gov.
