Complaint Policy

Steuben Child Care Project (SCCP) is a Resource and Referral Agency that promotes and supports quality child care.  SCCP assists parents by offering child care referrals to all legally operating programs in Steuben County, while providing consultation and training for child care providers and facilities in the community.  One important way to support high quality child care is to maintain an effective system of documenting and responding to complaints.  If parents and other concerned individuals suspect that there may be unregulated care occurring, or that a child care provider may be in violation of New York State child care regulation, they may call SCCP at 1-800-553-2033 or 607-776-2126 ext. 243 or 245. In addition, to obtain a provider complaint history, interested individuals may also call SCCP if the provider is either a Family Day Care (FDC), a School-Age Child Center (SACC) or Legally Exempt. For a history of providers who are Group Family Day Care (GFDC) or a Day Care Center (DCC), please call (585) 238-8531 or visit the Office of Children and Family Services website at  www.ocfs.state.ny.us  for further information on NYS child care regulations.

 Any complaint regarding any action that may threaten the well-being of a child, such as allegations of physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect or lack of supervision should be referred to the New York State Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-342-3720.

 If a concerned individual has a complaint regarding any problems in parent/provider relations such as differences in child rearing style or custom, business disagreements or scheduling concerns, parents are encouraged to communicate their concerns directly to the provider and work toward a resolution.  Issues regarding misuse of subsidies will be documented here and followed up on according to Steuben County Department of Social Service’s policy.

 SCCP’s role in resolving complaints is to offer assistance to providers in correcting problems, to report violations to the proper authorities and to maintain confidentiality.  For more information about child care, specific concerns or complaint procedures, please call SCCP at 1-800-553-2033 or (607) 776-2126 ext. 243 or 245.