Tulare County Office of Education - Child Care Educational Program

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History

Tulare County Child Care began in the summer of 1965 with community action agencies which opened child care centers in Visalia, Woodlake, Goshen, Cutler and Orosi. The centers were funded through the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, part of President Johnson's War on Poverty.

During the next few years, other centers were opened - housed in unused school buildings, old homes, rural fraternal lodges and church buildings. In 1967, the centers received Head Start funding and were centralized under the Tulare County Office of Education. Added to Head Start funding were funds from the State of California. Through this colocated funding, Child Care was able to provide increased availability including year-round and full-day care for children, one of the earliest Head Start agencies to do so.

The need for child care for low income families was great in Tulare County, and the program continued to expand.

In 1972, the Migrant Head Start Program was implemented in Tulare County. That program has now expanded into a Family Child Care Network.

In 1976, the State of California passed a piece of innovative legislation that increased child care services by licensing homes run by private child care providers. The Child Care Program started a Resource & Referral Program to provide a referral service to parents and to train providers.

Also in 1976, Child Care began the Home-Based Program which provided Head Start services through home educators which worked with the parent and child in their home.

The 1980s and 1990s have been tremendous growth years for the program. Centers were added, and the Alternative Payment Program began subsizing child care payments for low-income families using licensed homes, exempt providers and private centers.

Project Director Senaida Garcia was with the program since its inception in 1965 and was the director since 1969. Under her leadership, the program continued its goal toward expanding much-needed child care services to every community in the county. Ms. Garcia retired in January 2004. Ray Chavez was hired as the new administrator in April 2004.

Tulare County Office of Education
Child Care Educational Program
7000 Doe Avenue, Suite C
Visalia, CA 93291

Ray Chavez, Administrator
(559) 651-3022
fax: (559) 651-3802

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