Using the Online Referral Service does not require fancy technology or technical knowledge. All you will need, in addition to Internet access, is a working email address. If you don?t have one, three popular free email providers are Yahoo, Hotmail and Care2. Access to a printer is also useful if you would like to print your referrals.

Please review the tips below, and then go to Online Referrals.

6 Steps to Getting Referrals

1. Log in. You will enter your email address and create a password.
2. Read and sign the Disclaimer.
3. Enter your information. Let us know the area where you live, what type of care you seek and what hours you need care. Please note: some categories for "Type of Care" are not used. Please select Child Care Center and/or Family Child Care Home only.
4. Your information will carry through to the Search Page. On the Search Page, you may also provide more details on the type of program you would like. Please note that the more boxes you check, the fewer results you will receive.
5. View your results: You will have a list of programs that meet your criteria. The listing will include the name of the provider, the location, contact information and ages served. From this screen, you may view more program details on each provider.
6. Print your results, or search again to view other options.

Before You Begin Your Online Search

Decide when you need care: What hours? Year-round, school-year or summer only?

Choose where you would like the program to be located: Near home? Near work? Near school?

Consider whether you would prefer your child(ren) to be in a family child care home or in a child care center. If you have questions about how to choose, call 4Cs at 650-517-1460. Our counselors can discuss the program types with you.

After Your Search

Call 4Cs at 650-517-1460 with any questions about your referrals or the process of choosing a program. 4Cs does not provide recommendations or reviews on child care providers; we can give you the tools you need to evaluate a program.

Consult our fact sheets on choosing child care, choosing preschool, curriculum models and more!

Contact programs that interest you and arrange a visit so you can observe and ask questions.

Check the provider's references. 4Cs also strongly recommends that you review a potential child care provider's licensing history, which is available at the child care facility.

To obtain more detailed background information on providers, including a history of substantiated complaints and/or regulatory violations, we recommend that you call Community Care Licensing (CCL), where you can speak to an on-duty analyst or make an appointment to view a provider's public file at CCL's San Bruno offices by calling 650-266-8843.

Ready to get started? Go to 4Cs' Online Referrals.