Welcome Parents!

We at BANANAS are dedicated to serving the diverse families in Northern Alameda County by providing free child care information and referrals to child care providers and more than 1,200 licensed child care facilities. We provide financial help and parenting support through workshops, our reference library and advocacy. For more detailed information, please choose from the menu below.

Looking for child care? See child care info for a description of various options (family child care homes, in-home caregivers, etc.). See our many handouts on choosing infant or toddler child care, family child care or a preschool for your child. Contact Us for free referrals.

Need financial help? Subsidized child care explains what programs are available to low-income families.

Facing a crisis? BANANAS runs special respite programs for short-term emergency child care. We also provide pre-crisis counseling and referrals to other children's services. Contact us for help. See our parenting links for additional resources.

Seeking parenting support? See our Calendar for workshops, first aid classes and support groups on a variety of topics related to work and family.

Have a parenting question? Check out our resources for handouts, videos, publications, including back issues of our newsletter, or visit our office to access our parenting and child development books.

Need kids’ clothing? Drop by BANANAS for our free infants and children’s exchange. (We welcome your tax-deductible donations of good, clean children’s clothing and equipment.)

Advocacy anyone? Contact us for information on legislative, educational and consumer safety issues, or to subscribe to our newsletter ($5/year). See our helpful links for more information on local and national child advocacy groups.