DATE: Thursday, March 20, 1997              TAG: 9703180157

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 14   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   40 lines

CHILD-CARE DIRECTORY AIDS WORKING PARENTS

A new edition of a child-care provider directory that can help Norfolk parents and home providers find each other has been published.

The directory is free to parents and lists pertinent information they might want to consider as they search for day care.

``We just want to get the word out to parents that there is a resource for them to turn to,'' said Joann Bell, president of Care for Kids Advertising.

The directory is organized by neighborhood and city and covers the regions of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach. Bell said eventually she would like to expand to include Suffolk.

Each day-care provider entry includes such information as to whether the provider is licensed, hours and days of operation, ages of children and whether or not meals are provided. In addition, the guide lists activities the children can participate in, such as story time, Hooked on Phonics and computer training.

The directory also includes business advertisements and articles on parenting issues, such as discipline and the power of role models.

Bell came up with the idea for the directory four years ago when she was searching for day-care providers.

``I went to agencies for lists of names, but they all wanted to charge a fee,'' she said. ``I knew other parents were having the same problem.''

Bell added that the purpose of the directory is to give parents a running leap in their search for quality child care.

``It's just a list to get them started,'' she said.

The Child Care Directory is published four times a year and only lists home child-care providers. Day-care centers are not included in the listing. MEMO: To be included in the Child Care Directory or to have a copy

mailed to you, contact Joann Bell, Care For Kids Advertising, 5649

Princess Anne Road, Suite 120, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, or call

467-9764 or 499-0577. The cost to be included in the directory is $10

for three months or $35 for a year.

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