University of Virginia Health System

Family & Childcare Resource Topics

      
Childcare: Infant through Pre-School
Education: K-12 Schools
Childcare: Nannies & Babysitters
Eldercare
Other Family & Childcare Tips

Word of Mouth announces a new Backup Care Benefit for all University and Health System employees! Sponsored by UVA/HS and offered by Work Options Workgroup, use these options to cover care for children, elders, or yourself when other options fall through. Use the toll-free number (800-557-0847) or submit a request online 24 hours a day. The Workgroup uses carefully-screened care providers and can tyipcally meet your request and dispatch and care provider to your home in 2-4 hours. The services provides center-based childcare for $15 a day; in-home care for children, elders, or others can be provided for up to 3 dependents for $30/day. You are automatically allotted 10 days of care per employee per calendar year.

Word of Mouth tip on Childcare Resources: Waiting lists for childcare facilities in the Charlottesville area can be a full year long, or even longer. It is important to research your desired childcare provider and then to place your name on the appropriate waiting list(s) as close to the time of conception as possible. 
  

Malcom Cole Childcare Center (Medical Center):  Infant through Kindergarten Care, supported by Health System Human Resources. Applicants are sorted through a Priority ranking process:
(I) Providers of direct patient care, including residents, (II) All other Medical Center employees, and (III) University/HSF employees.There is a substantial wait-list for this facility. Further, it is important to discuss your Priority status when contacting the center: those in rank III (which includes most School of Medicine faculty) are unlikely to be able to secure placement for their child or children.

Children, Youth, & Family Services of Charlottesville:   CYFS offers many childcare and parenting resources. Of special interest to parents seeking childcare facilties, CYFS manages a centralized database of state-licensed childcare providers. This includes daycare centers, preschools, in-home care providers, and others. By contacting CYFS directly at (434) 296-4118, parents may submit a database request for their specific childcare needs, indicating age(s) of children, hours needed, type of care desired, location of center, etc. CYFS will fax or mail results of this database search to the requesting party, greatly facilitating an informed search into the full, currently available childcare options Charlottesville. There is no cost associated with use of this database service.

Monticello Avenue web-site/Pre-School List:  Monticello Avenue is an extensive area resources web site maintained by the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. Under its Education subheading, it provides web-links for local and area schools. Its Pre-School list includes a sample, though not a comprehensive listing, of childcare providers.

UVa Faculty & Employee Assistance Program (FEAP) Childcare Resource List: This is a single-page (pdf) document accessed from the FEAP Work-life Program home page. It provides descriptions and links to several national organizations involved with childcare and placement. Additionally, the FEAP offers Childcare/School packets as part of its Relocation Services program, as well as providing informaton on community and University services, offering counseling to support families in transition, and making referrals to real estate companies. Call (434) 243-2643 for further information.

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Albemarle Family/School Connection Area: The Albemarle Family magazine and website are every parent's dream for a local network of events, resources, contacts, and more for children and parents. Their mission is "making parenting easier and growing up fun." Linked here is the School Connection web area, which also provides link to local and area Public Schools, as well as Private Schools. Other helpful links include: VA Dept. of Education Glossary of Terms, VA Standards, and the School Report Cards sites; Local Education links including a listing of Albemarle Family Articles on Education, After-School Classes, Athletics Programs, Educational Consultants, Music Lessons, Special Needs Services, Tutors & Learning Centers, and more.

Great Schools: Elementary, Middle, and High School Information for Public, Private, and Charter Schools Nationwide: This site is an excellent resource for doing research into the various schools in your area, for shopping for the right school district for your new home, or for making the decision to go public versus private. The site is set up with articles, blogs, and various search tools. You can search any community, and linked here is the launch page for school information for Charlottesville, Virginia. "Nearby cities" are listed from this page, as well, including Earylsville, Keswick, Scottsville, Crozet, and more. Charlottesville City and Albemarle County both offer very strong schools, so parents should use this site and discuss information with friends and colleagues when choosing a district to live in or comparing area public versus private schools.

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Parenting Network of Charlottesville (PNOC):  The PNOC web site and mail list serve parents with children of all ages in the greater Charlottesville area as a networking and discussion forum. PNOC is a place to exchange ideas and information, and to network about activities and resources. All topics related to parenting are open for discussion, with the benefit of arranging meetings with those in your on-line parenting network. The web site offers a very useful Links Area (for members of the mail list only)containing a resource directory of websites to parenting related community and national resources.

Au Pair in America: Word of Mouth tips about this path to hiring a nanny include Pros & Cons. Pros: This company is fairly inexpensive, conducts prescreening on candidates to select good applicants for your needs, provides a network for the au pair to interact with while here, and will find a replacement for you if an au pair does not work out. Cons: You have to filter through many potential applicants, the au pair will have a culture and language barrier at the beginning, you need to allow 2-3 months processing time to bring the au pair here, and the company limits the number of hours per week to be worked (45 max), the number of years of service to be provided (2 years max), and prohibits any non-child-related household duties of the au pair.

Go Nannies:  This on-line service links candidates to families in the search the following household service areas: Nannies, Housekeepers, Chefs, ElderCare Providers, Personal Assistants, and more. The Word of Mouth tips about this path to hiring a nanny include Pros & Cons. Pros: Families may specify the number of hours to be worked (above 45 is possible) and other duties for the successful candidate, such as including cooking and cleaning responsibilities. Processing time is usually only 2-3 weeks. Applicants are usually citizens, limiting the cultural or language barrier.
Cons: More expensive than the above entry, there is little pre-screening so background and reference checks are imperative, the turn-over is very fast so decisions need to be made quickly in order to hire your desired applicant, and they do not provide any support or replacement if the nanny does not work out.

www.aupaircare.com: AuPairCare The combination of personal service and electronic ease of matching allows you to quickly select an au pair (that meets your specific family needs and lifestyle) and communicate directly with the au pair before you choose to make a match. All candidates are thoroughly prescreened. There is a local representative in downtown Charlottesville that meets regularly with the au pairs and families to ensure a great year for both parties. It is an active fun group of Charlottesville professionals and caring talented caregivers from abroad

All-American Nanny, Ltd:  This group works to match candidates to your childcare profile, and conducts extensive background checks before recommending potential candidates.

NannyLocators.com: "The Nanny & Family Classifieds." A national subscription service for both nannies and families to post help wanted and help offered ads. Search by state, region, and city. A 60-day subscription is $129.00 and the service does not include background checks.

eNanny Source: Search this national database for nannies in your home area. There is a free trial subscription offer as well as other services available through a fee subscription. Families may post their job description on the site, as well.

Babysitter List of the School of Nursing (updated each semester): This list is maintained by the School of Nursing and is published on this site through permission of the SoN. The list includes the availability hours of each potential sitter.

Babysitter List of the UVa Women's Center (updated each semester): This list is maintained by the Women's Center and is not available on-line. The list includes the availability hours of each potential sitter. Anyone who would like to request a complimentary copy of this list in the mail, please contact Sue Gerrans (434) 982-2361.

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JABA, the Jefferson Area Board for Aging: JABA provides "Services for Senior Health & Independence." With facilites located in Charlottesville, Scottsville, and the Counties of Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna, Nelson, and Louisa, JABA offers a wide variety of options for supporting seniors and their families. Services include Adult Day Healthcare Center (affordable therapeutic care of impaired adults of all ages), Aging Services Coordination (assistance in creating a care plan), Health Insurance Counseling (assistance with selection of service, benefit and claims, and long-term care insurance), Home Care (coordinated services with local providers of personal care aides), Senior Centers (for midday meals, trips, education & screening, and social/recreational opportunities), and more. Please also contact the FEAP at UVa (listed above) to recieve consultation and information services at no cost to you or your family.

Home Sweet C'ville (Virginia Law School site): This is an outstanding resource with commentary, links, reviews, and ideas on the following topics: Family Time, C'ville Shopping (includes Retail and Grocers), Things to Do, Eats & Drinks, Getting Oriented, Getting Settled, Finding a Job, Health Resources, Community Service, and Law School Life.Take this Family Time/Pre-Schools, Daycare, & Private Schools Link to go directly to that area of this site.

Monticello Avenue: From this home page, link to extensive Charlottesville area resources in the following major categories: Arts, Business, Education, Employment, Government, Groups, Health, History, Housing, Library, Media, Tourism, and a full left-menu listing of Upcoming Events and Links to Local New Sources. This site is maintained by the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library.

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