Recognizing a need for accessible high quality childcare, the Erie/Niagara Birth-8 (E/N Birth-8) Coalition, managed by United Way, partnered with AT&T, Horizns and the WNY STEM Hub to co-design and develop an iOS mobile app, CareFind, that will raise awareness of quality child care standards, improve access to high quality child care and assist parents in navigating the system.
The highlight of this app is its ability to locate nearby quality programing based on real-time data linked to the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). The childcare app will also provide parents with a forum to share information about their individual child care experiences which will be useful to improve quality of care.
Most notably, the child care app will be the first universal child care parent rating tool in New York State. The possibilities for the expansion of this app, regionally, state-wide and nationally have yet to be discovered.