4Cs of Alameda County
4Cs of Alameda County helps families locate licensed child care, seek assistance with child care costs, and connect with services that support children and parents. This article explains the agency’s service areas, referral options, payment programs, eligibility list, family navigation services, and resource centers. It also covers support for child care providers, registration requirements for workshops, and the differences between programs so readers can direct their questions to the appropriate office.
4Cs of Alameda County Services
The Community Child Care Council, commonly called 4Cs of Alameda County, is a private nonprofit family resource agency. It is not a county government department. The state and Alameda County contract with the agency to administer child care payment assistance programs. Its other services include child care referrals, family navigation, parenting support, and training for child care providers.
The 4Cs of Alameda County website provides separate paths for parents and providers. Families can seek help locating care, paying for care, or obtaining essential items. Providers can access business support, professional development, and information about participating in payment assistance programs. Specialists speak multiple languages, and child care resource and referral services and family navigation support are free to parents regardless of income.
Free referrals and payment assistance are different services. A family can request information about licensed child care without qualifying for a subsidy. Payment assistance, however, depends on program eligibility, the family’s circumstances, and available funding. Receiving a referral does not mean the agency has approved financial assistance.
Service Areas and Office Routing
Personalized child care referrals cover Southern Alameda County, including San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Hayward, Union City, Newark, Fremont, and unincorporated Alameda County. The referral service includes licensed family child care homes and child care centers.
Child care payment assistance serves eligible families in Oakland and Southern Alameda County, but the programs available through each office differ. The Hayward office handles South County payment assistance inquiries. The Oakland office handles payment assistance inquiries for Oakland residents. Identifying your city and the type of assistance you need helps distinguish a referral request from a payment program inquiry.
Family navigation also has program-specific service areas. Foster Bridge navigation serves qualifying families in Southern Alameda County. Family and Community Emergency Support Services focuses on families in Ashland and Cherryland. Inclusion navigation serves parents and providers living in or providing child care in the Southern Alameda County communities identified by that program.
Licensed Child Care Referrals
Families can request free personalized referrals by telephone or through the online form on the child care referral page. The service provides information about licensed facilities so parents can choose care that meets their family’s needs. The agency’s approach places the choice of child care with the parent.
Referral specialists are available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Callers who reach the service outside those hours can leave a voicemail. The agency states that staff will return those calls within two business days. These are referral specialist hours, rather than a general schedule for every 4Cs program.
The referral search and payment assistance eligibility list serve different purposes. The first helps families identify child care options; the second tells the payment assistance team that a family needs help with child care costs. Families seeking both services should address both needs rather than treating a child care search as an application for financial assistance.
Child Care Payment Assistance
The child care payment assistance page explains programs that provide full or partial reimbursement for child care on behalf of eligible families. Eligibility is based on income and the need for child care services. The programs support care while parents work, attend education programs, participate in welfare-to-work activities, or have another qualifying need.
The agency identifies needs such as seeking employment, seeking permanent housing, incapacitation, and child protective services. These circumstances are part of the program framework; they do not establish automatic eligibility for every applicant. Staff assess the family under the applicable program.
The Hayward office identifies CalWORKs Stages One, Two, and Three, the California Alternative Payment Program, the County California Alternative Payment Program, and the County Foster Care Program. The Oakland office identifies the California Alternative Payment Program and CalWORKs Stages Two and Three. Oakland residents should not assume that every program handled by the Hayward office is also administered through Oakland.
CalWORKs Stages and Transitions
CalWORKs Stage One generally serves parents who are new to CalWORKs and are referred to 4Cs by the County Welfare Department. The agency provides this child care service to families living in Southern Alameda County.
Stage Two serves parents who are still receiving cash aid or whose aid ended within the previous 24 months. Families must live in Oakland or Southern Alameda County. They can transfer from Stage One or from another Stage Two agency.
Stage Three involves a later transition after cash aid ends. If funding is available, parents transition from a CalWORKs Stage One or Stage Two program on the first day of the 25th month after discontinuance from aid. Families must live in Oakland or Southern Alameda County. The funding condition matters: the stated transition point should not be read as an unconditional guarantee of assistance.
Alternative Payment and County Referrals
The California Alternative Payment Program, or CAPP, helps low-to-moderate-income families with child care costs to support economic self-sufficiency. The program description includes work, school, employment searches, permanent housing searches, and circumstances involving children receiving child protective services or identified as at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
The County California Alternative Payment Program is a separate county-referred pathway. It serves Southern Alameda County families referred directly by the county whose children receive child protective services or are identified as at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
The County Foster Care Program assists foster parents with a portion of the cost of care. Families are referred by the county, and parents must reside in Southern Alameda County. This program should be distinguished from Foster Bridge navigation, which has its own referral requirements and services.
The Payment Assistance Eligibility List
Families can sign up for the online child care payment assistance eligibility list or update an existing application through the payment assistance page. Printable eligibility forms are also offered in English and Spanish. Assistance is available for people who have trouble completing the eligibility list application.
Adding a name to the list informs staff that the family needs child care payment assistance. It does not enroll the child in a payment program. Enrollment depends on staff assessment of family eligibility, including family size, income, and other factors. It is not determined by how long the family has been waiting.
The agency states that families demonstrating greater need are prioritized as funding becomes available. Staff contact families when a slot becomes available for their child, so accurate contact information is essential. Review your contact details before submitting the form, and use the application update option when those details change.
Enrollment Priorities and Family Information
The published admission priorities place children receiving child protective services or at risk of abuse or neglect first. The second priority is income eligibility in relation to family size and income.
Within the second priority, when families have the same income-related priority, the stated order gives preference to a family with a child with exceptional needs, followed by a family whose home language is other than English. Family size, income, and these circumstances therefore matter to the assessment. The eligibility list should reflect the family’s actual situation rather than relying on the submission date as the basis for placement.
Parents already participating in a 4Cs payment assistance program can access forms and documents through the payment assistance page. That participant paperwork serves a different purpose from joining the eligibility list. Existing participants should use the materials intended for their program rather than treating a new eligibility list entry as a substitute for program documents.
Family Navigation Programs
The family navigation program descriptions explain three distinct services: Foster Bridge Family Navigation, Family and Community Emergency Support Services Navigation, and Inclusion Navigation. Each identifies the families or providers it serves. Matching the request to the correct program is especially useful when the need extends beyond locating a child care facility.
Foster Bridge Family Navigation
Foster Bridge navigation serves foster parents, emergency relative caregivers, and non-minor dependents who are part of the California Foster Bridge Program and live in Southern Alameda County. Services include enhanced child care referrals, help with subsidized child care options and applications, connections to resource and referral agencies based on the caregiver’s residence, and resources related to family needs.
A referral from Alameda County Social Services is required for these navigation services. The program description includes current and former foster families in Southern Alameda County. Families fostering through a Foster Family Agency are not eligible for the child care voucher component of Foster Bridge. That restriction concerns the voucher component and should not be confused with the separate County Foster Care Program.
Support for Ashland and Cherryland
Family and Community Emergency Support Services, or FACESS, serves families in the unincorporated Ashland and Cherryland area with children ages zero through eight. Its individualized support uses family success planning and coaching.
The listed services include rent, utility, grocery, and diaper assistance; referrals to child care, educational programs, food distributions, health services, and other supports; and interactive virtual parent cafés. The program’s navigator speaks Spanish. Its geographic and age requirements distinguish it from the broader child care referral service.
Inclusion Support for Families and Providers
Inclusion navigation serves parents of children with developmental disabilities and child care providers living in or providing care in Castro Valley, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and Union City. The navigator speaks Chinese and Taiwanese.
Parents can receive help connecting with local inclusion services and resources, participate in support groups, and access positive behavior support parenting workshops. Providers can receive professional development, one-on-one technical assistance, navigation to inclusion resources, and advocacy when necessary. Support and discussion groups bring parents and providers into the service as well.
RISE Resource Centers and Essentials
The RISE family resource centers welcome community members free of charge at the Hayward and Oakland offices. RISE stands for Resources through Interconnection, Support, and Equity. Available supports include food, diapers and wipes, gently used clothing, children’s books, parenting programs, and seasonal giveaways. Brilliant Baby enrollment is offered for Oakland families.
Families may visit one of the resource centers every three months to shop for free essential items. Drop-in hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The centers are closed Thursday. The midday break is part of the published schedule, so a visit during that period falls outside shopping hours.
The RISE page also identifies additional closure dates. Review the schedule when planning a visit, particularly around seasonal events. Resource center shopping, special giveaways, and monthly distributions have different schedules and participation arrangements.
Food Distribution and Other Family Supports
The monthly food distribution takes place on the first Thursday of each month from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Hayward office garage. Preregistration is required because of safety considerations and limited supplies. Participants are asked to bring a shopping bag. Available food includes canned and dry goods.
This Thursday distribution is separate from regular RISE resource center shopping, which is closed on Thursdays. The every-three-month resource center visit policy should not be mistaken for the event’s registration procedure.
The agency also offers free tax preparation and filing for low-income families and individuals through its VITA site. Free car seat installation checks are provided by a Certified Passenger Safety Technician and require an appointment. RISE includes referrals to these services, along with additional parenting support programs. The diaper program distributes kits monthly to families with young children served by 4Cs.
Support for Child Care Providers
The provider services page covers support for licensed and license-exempt child care providers. Its referral service lists licensed family child care homes and centers in the Southern Alameda County cities it serves. Support for license-exempt providers should not be confused with inclusion in that licensed-provider referral database.
Providers serving families in payment assistance programs can access a Subsidized Child Care Program Guide, provider license packets, exempt relative packets, and TrustLine packet forms. These materials address different provider arrangements. Providers should select the paperwork corresponding to their arrangement rather than treating all packets as interchangeable.
Other support includes business counseling, professional development, and tip sheets on topics such as caring for infants and toddlers and creating a diverse child care community.
Family Child Care Startup Assistance
The Child Care Start-up and Support Program assists people entering family child care and current providers seeking stronger business practices, expansion from a small to a large family child care business, or improved support for children’s development.
The first licensing step described by the agency is an orientation with Community Care Licensing. Preregistration and prepayment of a fee are required. After orientation, 4Cs can assist with questions about the licensing process. Its free business practices and child development training is a separate part of provider support.
The Child Care Initiative Project, or CCIP, may be available to applicants living in Castro Valley, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, or Union City who meet current eligibility guidelines. Participants receive individual coaching and consultation for the licensing application and home environment. Financial incentives can include reimbursement for business startup costs. Assistance is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
Workshop Registration and Participation
The workshop policies and training information describe free and low-cost opportunities in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Topics include business operations, infant care, educational activities, diverse backgrounds, and children with special needs.
Preregistration is required for some workshops and strongly recommended for others. Registration also allows staff to attempt to notify participants if a workshop closes or is canceled. Participants needing accommodations should arrange them in advance with the workshop coordinator.
Workshops are intended for adults unless the event flyer specifically mentions child care. Special arrangements for breastfeeding mothers can be discussed during registration. Participants are also asked to avoid scented products because the agency seeks to maintain a fragrance-free training environment.
4Cs Offices and Program Contacts
Community Child Care Council (4Cs) of Alameda County — 22351 City Center Drive, Hayward, CA 94541 — (510) 582-2182
4Cs Hayward Office, Child Care Payment Assistance — 22351 City Center Drive, Hayward, CA 94541 — (510) 244-0980
4Cs Oakland Office, Child Care Payment Assistance — 8501 Edgewater Drive, Suite 270, Oakland, CA 94621 — (510) 244-0966
4Cs Resource and Referral — (510) 244-0506
4Cs RISE Hayward Resource Center — 22351 City Center Drive, Hayward, CA 94541 — (510) 244-1173
4Cs RISE Oakland Resource Center — 8501 Edgewater Drive, Suite 270, Oakland, CA 94621
4Cs Foster Bridge Family Navigation — (510) 736-2798
4Cs Family and Community Emergency Support Services Navigation — (510) 925-4021
4Cs Inclusion Navigation — (510) 606-4393
4Cs Child Care Start-up and Support Program, English and Spanish — (510) 736-2793
4Cs Child Care Start-up and Support Program, Chinese — (510) 736-2755
4Cs Workshop Coordinator — (510) 736-2758
Community Care Licensing — (510) 622-2602
4Cs of Alameda County FAQs
Which training covers child care CPR and first aid?
The 4Cs training calendar identifies a CPR and First Aid course that provides eight hours of Emergency Medical Services Authority-approved training. Its description addresses both providers entering the field and experienced early care and education professionals refreshing their knowledge and keeping their certification current. Check the child care training listings for the specific course description before registering. A workshop on classroom environments, child development, or business practices should not be treated as a substitute for CPR and first aid training.
When will I receive my Zoom training link?
The Chinese-language Universal Design for Learning training listing says successfully registered participants receive their Zoom link the day before class. That timing applies to the listed training; the supplied information does not establish the same delivery schedule for every online workshop. Review your selected event’s instructions for its registration deadline and participation expectations. Some listings warn that participants arriving more than 15 minutes late may be unable to attend and encourage camera use for at least 80% of the training, along with participation in breakout discussions when applicable.
Can I add 4Cs events to my calendar?
Yes. The events page offers Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365, and Outlook Live options, plus downloadable calendar files. Before adding an event, compare its displayed date with the dates inside its description. Some supplied parenting-series listings appear under 2026 but contain 2022 session details. Those conflicting dates do not establish a current session schedule. Confirm the event details before arranging child care, setting aside time, or relying on a calendar reminder.