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Busse Design USA Assists Alameda County Child Care Planning Council with Development of Centralized Eligibility List
New system will enable county to improve availability of vital child care services
EMERYVILLE, CA - April 22, 2003 - Busse Design USA, a leader in user-focused interface and graphic design, today announced that it is providing Alameda County Child Care Planning Council with integration services and user training of a new software system that will manage the County's Centralized Eligibility List (CEL) for subsidized child care.
The mission and purpose of the Alameda County Universal Access to Subsidized Child Care/Centralized Eligibility List (UASCC/CEL) Pilot Project is to provide eligible families with equitable access to subsidized child care, and to provide child care programs with efficient and equitable access to information on families who are eligible for child care subsidies in Alameda County. The CEL program is a collaborative project supported by both public funds awarded through the "Every Child Counts" (Prop. 10, Alameda County Children and Families Commission) program; public entities that include the Alameda County Child Care Planning Council and the Alameda County Social Services Agency, and private funds and donations from organizations that include the East Bay Community Foundation and the Hewlett-Packard Company.
In close partnership with Controltec Inc., the developer of the KinderWait™ software selected by the county, Busse Design USA is working with Alameda child care agencies across the county to provide overall project management and other services, including development of user documentation and training of county employees in the day-to-day use of the system.
Demand for state-funded child care programs has seen substantial growth since the welfare-to-work reforms of about five years ago. A CEL enables families to apply for child care and be considered for available openings in many subsidized child care programs. This dramatically simplifies the process for both the family and the child care agency, while providing the assurance that the families that are most eligible will receive child care services first.
In addition to the obvious benefits for the families being served, the CEL provides a wealth of useful data and statistics not previously available to the county and state, including the number of families and children waiting to be served, and the length of time families spend on the waiting list.
"The high cost of living in Alameda county places harsh financial pressures on low-income families. It is estimated that, statewide, possibly 280,000 families are in need of subsidized child care," said Angie Garling, Child Care Coordinator at the Alameda County General Services Agency. "The precise number is not known since there is no centralized list, so the new software and the integration and training services to be provided by Busse Design in Alameda County will help eligible parents locate low-cost child care for their children."
"As a parent I am very familiar with the problems facing pre-school parents in Alameda county," said Joy Busse, chief creative officer and president, Busse Design USA. "We are glad to provide support for this essential project."
About Alameda County Child Care Planning Council
The Council serves as a pro-active, representative body that exists to maximize local, state, federal and private resources for child care in Alameda County, as well as an advisory and planning body to the County Board of Supervisors and Board of Education on child care issues. More information can be found at www.co.alameda.ca.us/childcare/index.shtml.
About Controltec Inc.
Located in Fallbrook, CA, Controltec specializes in software products for the subsidized child care industry. KinderWait™, KinderTrack™ and KinderAttend™ comprise a suite of solutions for child care agencies at the county and state level. For more information on Controltec visit the company web site at www.controltec.com.
About Busse Design USA
Busse Design USA Inc., founded in 1997, and Busse Design Ulm GmbH, founded in 1959, together form a full-service design agency. Busse Design USA provides a wide range of services for their clients "including user interface design, product design and development, branding and packaging design, and a wide range of usability testing services. Working from a human factors perspective, Busse Design USA combines compelling design with strong process methodologies that result in superior user experiences for both its clients and their customers and partners. Headquartered in a restored 1913 building in Emeryville, CA - home to one of the largest populations of artists studios in the San Francisco Bay Area - Busse Design USA employs accomplished designers, Human Computer Interaction specialists, information architects, as well as brand and marketing experts. More information about Busse Design USA can be found at www.bussedesign.com.
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