Family Resources
Parent Tip Sheets
Quality Indicators (what to look for & think about as you look for care)
Child Care Options
(basic definitions of types of care & child care terms)
38 Indicators of Quality Child Care Checklist
(a convenient checklist to use when you visit programs)
Checklist for Visiting Centers
Checklist for Visiting Family Child Care Homes
Other resources on seeking & choosing child care
Other Resources
Child Care Aware Family Engagement – A listing of tools and resources for families, as well as other opportunities for them to engage with child care providers.
Childhelp (abuse hotline) – The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Serving the United States, its territories, and Canada, the Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who, through interpreters, can provide assistance in 170 languages. The Hotline offers crisis intervention, information, literature, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are anonymous and confidential.
MASS 211 – Helps residents find essential community services, after school programs, food banks, or where to secure care for an aging parent. Call MASS 211 to be placed on the statewide waitlist for financial assistance for child care.
- Mass.gov Assistance Programs – provides useful information about a wide range of assistance programs for people in need living in Massachusetts. It provides information on what benefits are available, how to apply, eligibility requirements, benefit amounts, and answers to commonly asked questions
- Search for a Licensed Adoption or Foster Care Agency
- Search for special education
Massachusetts Child Care Resource & Referral Network – Statewide information & assistance on child care issues.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.
Tax Credit Resources for Parents – this page is designed to help you while explaining to taxpayers the tax impact of significant life events.
- Free Tax Assistance from the IRS
- Earned Income Information
- National Tax credit outreach campaign – find information on the earned income tax credit and child tax credit
Zero to Three – Information on key issues affecting young children and their families, including child care, infant mental health, early language and literacy development, early intervention and the impact of culture on early childhood development.
State Resources
Department of Transitional Assistance
Department of Children and Families
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Child and Adult Care Food Program
Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Programs
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Community Resources
Child Care Circuit offers a community database of local resources available in YOUR community. To include your listing in our database, click here.
Did you use Child Care Circuit to assist you in your child care search? If so, click here to take a quick parent follow-up survey. Your feedback is important to us.