The Blue Ridge Free Clinic serves as a “Bridge to Health” for anyone with unmet medical needs who does not have a healthcare provider. We offer TEMPORARY primary care. In most cases this will be for 3 – 12 months, until we can assist patients to establish care with a local, affordable, primary care practice. When this has occurred, the patient has “crossed the bridge to health”.
The Child Care Subsidy Program assists families in paying child care costs for children under age 13 who are not eligible to attend public school during the part of the day when public education is available, or children with special needs under age 18 who reside with the applicant. If you are eligible and are approved for services, the Subsidy Program can pay a portion of your child care costs directly to the child care provider.
Here are some helpful tips to find out if your employer offers childcare benefits or supports.
Employee Handbook or Policies: Start by reviewing the company’s employee handbook or policies. Often, child care benefits are mentioned in these documents along with other employee benefits.
Human Resources (HR) Department: Reach out to the HR department directly. They can provide information about all the benefits available to employees, including child care assistance programs, subsidies, or flexible spending accounts for child care expenses.
Intranet or Company Website: Check the company’s intranet or website for information on employee benefits. Some companies have dedicated sections or portals where employees can learn about available benefits and how to access them.
Ask Colleagues: If comfortable, ask colleagues who are parents if they are aware of any child care benefits offered by the employer. They might have insights or firsthand experience with the company’s programs.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP): Some companies offer employee assistance programs that include resources for child care support and referrals. These programs may provide counseling, information, and assistance in finding suitable child care options.
Family Village
It takes a village to raise a child…Ready Region Blue Ridge offers a variety of ways to engage and connect with families through our Family Village. You can be as active as you want!
Our Vision
All children birth to five have a solid foundation that leads to success.
Our Mission
To bring our community together to champion equal access to resources for all children from birth to age five.
What Is Family Engagement to Us?
“In Ready Region Blue Ridge, Family Engagement focuses on building relationships, fostering joint decision-making, and ensuring the availability of resources to support children’s learning and development through active communication and collaboration among parents, caregivers, and the community.”
The Welcome Center is a service of Harrisonburg City Public Schools (HCPS).
The Welcome Center facilitates enrollment for ALL NEW STUDENTS (PreK–12th grade) into HCPS.
In addition, if your student previously attended a HCPS school, withdrew for a period of time, and is now returning to HCPS, the Welcome Center will assist you in re-enrolling your student(s).
Call the Welcome Center at 540-433-3644 to schedule an enrollment/re-enrollment appointment.
Applying for PreK Services
Children who turn 4 years of ageor 3 years of age on or prior to September 30th are welcome to apply for early childhood education services. HCPS provides early childhood education to PreK children that qualify for those services. An appointment must be made with the Welcome Center to apply for services for three or four year olds.
Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge is a voluntary program that helps first-time parents learn about how children develop, how to keep children healthy, and how to prepare children to do well in school.
The first and most important teachers in every child’s life are his or her parents. We work with other programs in the community to make sure that parents have what they need to support their child’s health, growth and development from birth to five years of age.
If you suspect developmental delays, we are here to help caregivers every step of the way. We provide free developmental screenings and assessments to determine need for service (Children aged birth to 3). If the child is found eligible for early intervention services, an Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) is developed to set outcomes with the family and service providers, both public and private.
We’re excited to invite you to join our family village Facebook group, where we can stay connected and share resources, updates, memories, and more. Who can join? Any parent or caregiver with children of any age!
The Family Council brings families together within our region to discuss early childhood care and education topics. Families are empowered to advocate for the needs and challenges they face when accessing early childhood care for their children.
Learn about early childhood care, education systems, and community resources.
Weigh in on current programs and what more is needed for families with young children
Use your voice to promote change
Who can join? Parents and caregivers of children aged birth to 5.
How often/long are meetings? 1 hour each month (virtual)
How much do you pay? $50 per family council meeting you attend and $25/hr. for additional meetings and events.
Are you interested in joining the Family Council and Family Village? We’d love to have you on board! Sign Up Here
The Virginia Promise Partnership is a coalition of leading organizations working together to achieve our bold goal of ensuring all Virginia families have access to affordable, quality child care by 2030, regardless of income.
We’d like to share information about the Virginia Promise Partnership with you. Please click the link below for more details:
To sign up contact our Family Engagement Specialist: tthompson@unitedwaycville.org or 434-459-0200
Social and Emotional Development describes the range of skills that young children learn that help them relate to themselves and others. These skills include: expressing and regulating feelings, considering how others feel, and solving problems with greater independence. For more information, see Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards, Birth-Five Learning Guidelines (ELDS) which outline typical child development from birth to five years of age. Use this document to understand what skills are appropriate for your child and to see what s/he might develop next.
Mercy House is a nonprofit organization with multiple programs combating poverty and homelessness in Harrisonburg, Virginia. As a provider of family shelter, rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention services; our agency is committed to restoring our clients to self-sufficiency by addressing the barriers and challenges that led to housing instability or experiencing homelessness. Mercy House serves the City of Harrisonburg, and provides services to clients within Rockingham, Augusta, and Page Counties.
Our organization is comprised of individuals who have overcome substance use, mental health, and trauma-related challenges. Grounded in our lived experiences, our mission is to offer hope, support and advocacy for those seeking recovery so that they can build resilience and thrive in their lives and communities.
This resource guide lists the area resources available for Harrisonburg and Rockingham as of August 2024.
Free help accessing services: Walk-in Monday-Friday 9am-2pm 917 N. Main St., Unit 1, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 | 540-208-2941 | StrengthInPeers.org |
