ACF Banner
[NCCIC header image][NCCIC Header Image]

Issue 20

A Vision for the Children: Child Care in the Year 2000

Contents

A Vision for the Children

This issue of the Child Care Bulletin provides an opportunity to look forward and envision what can be done to expand and improve child care services to meet the needs of children and families across the country. We are pleased to begin with remarks from Secretary Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, excerpted from her speech July 28, 1998 at the Child Care Bureau?s Annual State Child Care Administrators Meeting, in Washington, DC. This issue of the Bulletin also includes articles which address state systems that incorporate training, compensation, and quality; initiatives that enhance the family child care profession; ways states are building capacity for infant care services and for school readiness programs; technical assistance opportunities for states, tribes, and territories; systems of resource and referral services; and new developments in school-age care programs.

In her keynote address, Secretary Shalala began her expression of the Vision for Child Care by discussing QUALITY. The following are excerpts from her remarks: "…the people who take care of America's children are heroes. Just try to imagine how many times a day in this country a parent says to a child care worker: 'You saved my day,' or even, 'You saved my life.' For parents, child care really means family care – because it's one of the most important survival tools working families have.

Child care workers are heroes. But even heroes need a helping hand sometimes. That's what you've always offered. State and county administrators and advocates are the support, the creative thinkers, the financial lifeline, and an important voice for child care workers across our country. One of the great untold stories of state and local government is the success you've had allocating and using limited child care dollars.

But perhaps more important, you've taken an issue that was barely a blip on the national radar screen five years ago and made it part of our national dialogue. It's on the radar screen and no amount of hiding, stalling or excuse-giving will make it go away. That's why the President, the First Lady and our Department are absolutely committed to the President's Child Care Initiative.
However, we're not joining this fight at the endgame. From day one, we've made the child care needs of working families a priority. We streamlined our services and created the first Child Care Bureau. Our National Child Care Information Center is sharing important trends and ideas with states and communities. We added 4 billion dollars for child care to the new welfare law.  Our Maternal and Child Health Bureau is looking at ways to use child care to promote good health. We're giving states technical assistance and information about models that work to help you improve child care.

The [CCDF] regulations [issued July 24, 1998] require that children receiving services under the block grant be immunized; that child care premises be safe; and that staff receive health and safety training. The regulations also cover giving parents information on payment rates; maintenance of effort; and minimum funding levels for quality. And to better inform parents about choices, the regulations require states to provide consumer education to all parents on a full range of available providers.

For parents, the three questions most often asked about child care are: Can I get it? Can I afford it? Can I trust it? The President's Child Care Initiative will help consumers answer 'yes' to all three of those questions.

But it's the last one that I really want to focus on today. The question: Can I trust it? really comes down to just one word – quality.

If a young parent stops me in the street and asks, 'Secretary Shalala, what can I do to make sure my child gets quality child care?' I can always say, 'Join the army.' That's because the Army takes protecting and nurturing the children of its soldiers seriously. They have a child care system that includes surprise inspections four times a year. Frankly, we need to give the children of all working families the same kind of protection that military families have.

So what is high quality child care?Quality child care is care that meets a minimum level of performance. Care that we can measure. Care that we can sustain. Care that we demand for our own children.

  • The overall goal should be good interaction between the children and the provider – and between the provider and parents. So in addition to a small group of children, in a good facility, watched over by responsible adults, quality means ongoing training – not just initial training.
  • Quality means having a continuous improvement strategy that stays on top of child development research and invites the thinking of outside experts and consultants.
  • Quality means having a strong and meaningful relationship with families based on trust and sharing information about the children the child care program serves.
  • Quality means teaming up with health experts, and building a seamless system where health care and child care are viewed as two sides of the same coin. Some states, for example, are now having community nurses visit child care centers on a regular basis or be available for phone consultations.
  • Quality also means having supportive directors that respond to the needs of staff but demand accountability.
  • ...Quality means good working conditions for day care providers. Child care programs will not be able to attract the kind of motivated and well trained staff they need without good space, decent pay, leave and family-friendly policies.

We also need to do a better job of getting the word out to working families that subsidized child care is an option. That means coming up with highly creative messages, and finding new ways to reach child care consumers – because choice doesn't mean much to parents who don't know they have it.

The same is true for CHIP – our Children's Health Insurance Program. Too many low income families simply don't know their children are eligible for Medicaid or other coverage under a state CHIP plan. Child care programs are an ideal place for letting parents know about CHIP – and for getting their children signed up. So I hope you will help enlist the child care programs you regulate in a massive effort to make sure children receive the health care coverage they need – and deserve.

My last challenge is simply this: Don't go it alone. Investing in child care is about more than just money. It's about getting the community involved. There is wisdom in the experience of teachers, parents, clergy, businesses and law enforcement. These community players should be involved in your decisions about funding, safety, training, eligibility and access. They are a resource you don't want to lose.

I started with one definition of a hero. Let me conclude with another: Jonathan Swift said a hero is one who excels in what we prize. As a country I don't think there's anything we prize more than the courage and capacity to build healthy, emotionally strong and well-educated children. That is what you have devoted your lives to doing. And that's why today it is an honor for me to say to each of you: You are a hero too.

Thank you."

up arrowStates Move Toward Systems That Encompass Training, Compensation, and Program Quality

Sheri Azer and Kimberly Elliott

 CCDECE Logo (2824 bytes)

Visionary planning requires the ability to take a critical look at "where we are" and "where we want to be." The past decade has shown a growing recognition among states that staff training and retention are inextricably linked elements of a system that promotes high quality child care programs and practices.

In 1989, one state, Delaware, was developing a comprehensive early care and education career development and training system. Today, 48 states are establishing such systems. These states are addressing the link between practitioner training, increased compensation, and the quality of services for children and families by developing policies and practices that allow for accessible, credit-bearing training that enables practitioners to advance in their careers. The following examples are from several states that have taken different approaches to building systems and addressing policy issues:

Washington State Training and Registry System (S.T.A.R.S.) – The state legislature allocated $580,000 per year in the 1997-99 budget to the licensing agency for scholarships and the creation of a career development system. All lead staff in child care centers, school-age care programs, and family child care providers are required to have 20 hours of introductory training. Training standards have been set. A web-based registry is being developed to track practitioners' progress. Washington solicited input and adapted plans to meet the needs of family child care and school-age care practitioners, among others.

Articulation Legislation – New Mexico has institutionalized many of its plans by mandating universal acceptance of 64-hour "transfer modules" of courses from associate's degree to bachelor's degree programs. Core competencies and state certificates have been developed at the entry- and degree-levels. Work is now underway on special education, infant/toddler, administration/leadership, and multilingual competencies that will lead to optional "areas of specialization" noted on degree-level certificates.

Creating Links between Training and Compensation – T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhoo â Project in North Carolina awards about 4,000 scholarships, which are linked directly to increased compensation, each year and is being replicated in Illinois, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Indiana, and Georgia. The Child Care W.A.G.E.$ Project aims to reduce turnover and increase the education of practitioners by awarding salary supplements based on the level of education an individual has already attained (see "T.E.A.C.H. Project Helps Promote Professional Development in Six States," Child Care Bulletin, July/August 1997).

A System of Tiered Reimbursement Rates – Through Reaching for the Stars, Oklahoma's child care centers and family child care homes are reimbursed at a higher level if they meet a set of standards that are above the basic "One Star" licensing requirements. In "Two Star" programs, staff/providers attain higher qualifications and additional training. The salary scale is based on level of education. Center directors must obtain formal training in administration – 40 hours in 1998, 50 hours in 1999, and in 2000, attain an Oklahoma Directors Credential. When funding is appropriated, programs will be designated as "Three Star" if they show proof of being accredited by a national accrediting body (see "States Utilize Rate Differentials for Reimbursement," Child Care Bulletin, November/ December 1997).

Delaware First....Again – Delaware's career development system for providers of Early Care and Education programs includes a core curriculum which offers 120 hours of training that meets CDA competencies and covers all the core content topic areas. This training is subsidized by Child Care Development Fund quality monies. Plans are in process to offer programs of intensive training, mentoring, and assessment for providers specializing in care for infants/toddlers, school-age, preschool, or children with disabilities.

Professional Development Registry - Oregon's Childhood Care and Education Career Development System is a statewide articulated career development system for childhood care and education. It is based on a common core of knowledge, quality standards, recognition of the diversity of providers and families they serve, and is supported by regulations and compensation.

Sheri Azer is Program Associate for Research and Kimberly Elliott is Program Associate for Editorial at the Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education, Wheelock College, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215-4176, phone: (617) 879-2211, or e-mail: centers@wheelock.edu. Visit the World Wide Web site at: http://institute.wheelock.edu/ [Editor's note (12-14-04): this link is no longer active]

up arrowFamily Child Care in the Year 2000 and Beyond

Peggy Haack

Imagine, as I have for my 20 year history in early childhood education, the day when people choose a career in this field and it is truly a "viable" one – one that offers the provider a family-supporting income, and rewards and respects her valuable contribution to the social and economic well-being of a community. Imagine the day when affordability to parents does not determine my child care rates, but rather they are determined by the level of skill, experience, and education I bring to the job. Imagine that where I live and who I serve do not determine how long I can provide care or whether I need a second job.

Over the past two years, the Center for the Child Care Workforce in Washington, D.C. has been engaging providers everywhere in responding to the question: "What would a good family child care job look like?" The responses represent a collective vision. Here is a portion of that vision:

Community support: An organized substitute provider pool screens and provides training for substitutes; technical assistance is available for program and business management needs; a strong referral program enables providers to recruit and maintain their desired enrollment; resources are available to offset some of the expenses of operating a family child care business.

Compensation: Our incomes are comparable to others in the community with the same level of education, experience and responsibility; we have health insurance, retirement benefits, sick and vacation leave, paid holidays, comparable to other vocations.

Professional development: We are 'at the table' where decisions are made; we are regarded as lifelong learners and have access to affordable and relevant continuing education; support networks and mentors are available to all.

New initiatives are supporting quality enhancement efforts in the family child care profession:

  • Model Work Standards for Family Child Care are under development by the Center for the Child Care Workforce (CCW).
  • Pilot sites are field testing the new accreditation process being developed by the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). Together with the Family Child Care Project at Wheelock College, NAFCC has been involved in a consensus building process to review and revise its accreditation system to reflect the most effective way to assess family child care programs. The new accreditation system is to be ready in 1999.
    Our history teaches us that we have already begun on the path towards this vision, but we cannot do it alone. Our vision depends on a public investment in our nation's children and those who care for them.

Peggy Haack is a Family Child Care Provider and Worthy Wage Coordinator, Center for the Child Care Workforce, 733 15th Street, NW, Suite 1037, Washington, DC 20005, phone: (202) 737-7700, fax: (202) 737-0370, e-mail: ccw@ccw.org, World Wide Web: http://www.ccw.org.

Resources for Family Child Care Programs

  • The Center for the Child Care Workforce (CCW) (202-737-7700) is committed to improving the quality of child care services through upgrading the compensation and training of child care providers. CCW is recognized as a national resource clearinghouse on child care staffing issues and a leader in empowering the workforce to strive for better regulation and funding of child care services. CCW has published Model Work Standards for Teaching Staff in Center-Based Child Care and is developing Model Work Standards for Family Child Care. For more information, contact The Center for the Child Care Workforce, 733 15th Street, NW, Suite 1037, Washington, DC 20005, or call: (202) 737-7700, or e-mail: ccw@ccw.org
  • The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) (800-359-3817) or (515-282-8192) is a professional membership organization for family child care providers that promotes quality family child care through accreditation, training, and leadership development activities. To learn more, contact the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), 206 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Des Moines, IA 50309-4018 or call: (800) 359-3817 or (515) 282-8192, or e-mail: nafcc@assoc-mgmt.com Visit the web site at: http://www.nafcc.org
  • The Family Child Care Accreditation Project is working with providers, parents and other experts to create a new accreditation system for NAFCC. This system will define standards of quality for family child care and promote professional development for providers. To learn more about the Family Child Care Accreditation Project, contact the Family Child Care Project at Wheelock College, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215-4176, phone: (617) 879-2211, e-mail: centers@wheelock.edu

up arrowInnovative Projects Expand Career Options and Increase the Supply of Community Child Care

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Logo

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Campus of Learners Program

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has encouraged public housing authorities (PHAs) across the nation to develop innovative ways of reinventing public housing. One such initiative is the Campus of Learners program, designed to transform public housing neighborhoods into safe and livable communities where families engage in educational opportunities and job training initiatives. Within HUD's 25 Campus of Learners sites, the PHAs have developed strategic plans to provide residents with education, job training, and employment opportunities involving computer and telecommunications technology, as well as to modify or rebuild public housing units to replicate a college campus-like setting.

This initiative can be a catalyst for housing residents to pursue an entrepreneurial effort such as becoming a family child care professional, while it helps other residents find quality, affordable child care. This effort increases the availability of accessible child care, improves the quality of services provided through ongoing support and training, and offers residents an alternative to entry-level retail or clerical jobs.
In California, for example, the Housing Authority of the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles has developed a partnership with El Camino College and East Los Angeles College to provide selected residents with training for the Child Development Certificate Program. This community college program is designed to lead to state certification. The coursework includes visits and observations at child care facilities, in addition to classroom instruction. The PHA facilitates entry into the program and pays the tuition for the students as a supportive service for residents.

For more information, contact Claudia Nash Simmons, Campus of Learners Technical Assistance Project, Aspen Systems Corporation, at: (301) 519-5466, or U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Public and Indian Housing Information and Resource Center at: (800) 955-2232. Visit the HUD web site at: http://www.hud.gov


Consortium for Worker Education Logo

Consortium for Worker Education: Satellite Child Care Program
In New York City, the Consortium for Worker Education, a not for profit organization which provides education, training, and reemployment services, has developed a welfare-to-work program to train and employ workers as Satellite Child Care providers working as salaried employees. The program model combines many features of family child care and center-based care. Children are cared for in the provider's home. The provider is an employee of Satellite Child Care Inc., a subsidiary of the Consortium for Worker Education. The provider earns a starting salary of $18,200 and receives union membership, vacation pay and other benefits, including training, and opportunities for career development, along with supervision, resources, and other supports. Each home is designed to care for four to five children, including children with special needs.

Recipients of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) who are interested in this career path go through an assessment process, background check, job-readiness orientation, case management, career goal planning, and a 16-week program which combines Work Experience Program (WEP) at a child care center with classroom instruction. All sites are screened, inspected, and registered by the Department of Health prior to opening. Each site is linked via computer with the sponsoring agency to facilitate recordkeeping, supervisory support, and access to other resources.

The project is supported by the state Department of Labor and the Office of Children and Family Services, the Mayor's office, the Human Resources Administration, and the Housing Authority. Major partners in the project provide support services: F.E.G.S. and Wildcat Service Corp. (WEP management, recruitment and screening), Childcare Inc. (training), City University of New York (continuing education), five child care agencies, and the Interagency Council, among others.

For more information, contact Barbara Zerzan, Director, CWE Satellite Child Care Project, 275 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, or call: (212) 647-1900. Visit the web site at: http://www.cwe.org

up arrowGoing to Scale: California's Plan to Improve Infant Care Services

California has developed a comprehensive plan to increase the quality and supply of child care and development services for children from birth to three years of age. These efforts began in 1986, when Janet L. Poole, from the California Department of Education (CDE), and Dr. J. Ronald Lally, from WestEd (formerly Far West Laboratory), created a partnership, the Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC), to improve the quality of infant care. The goal of the PITC is to create a comprehensive, high quality, multi-media training system for center-based and family child care providers.

Initial and ongoing funding for the project has been provided by the CDE. The Carnegie Corporation, The Ford Foundation, The Harris Foundation, and The Smith Richardson Foundation have supplied additional funding.

The centerpiece of the PITC is a series of broadcast quality training videos, produced in three languages (English, Spanish, and Chinese) and written support materials including caregiving guides and four trainer's manuals. The materials are organized in four modules: Social-Emotional Growth and Socialization, Group Care, Learning and Development, and Culture, Family, and Providers. The PITC has focused on creating a cadre of qualified trainers throughout the state, and recently on developing systems to support those trainers at the local level.

WestEd and the CDE developed three-day trainer-of-trainer institutes for each of the four modules. Through Child Care and Development Block Grant quality improvement funds, the CDE supported scholarships to cover the cost of the training for participants who, in return, would fulfill certification requirements and provide 25 hours of training during the following two years. This strategy helped to supply each county with PITC certified graduates to provide training on an ongoing basis at the local level for program directors and caregivers.

California currently has about 250 certified trainers and more than 250 participants in various stages of completing the institutes and certification process. These trainers represent all 58 counties in the state and many different types of programs. An infrastructure is being created at the regional and local levels to support the PITC graduates and coordinate their efforts. The Federal Infant Capacity Building funds made available to the states this year provided the additional funding for the following activities to increase infant care capacity while also improving the quality of services and supporting the PITC graduates:

  • Add an infant specialist to the Healthline statewide 800 number available to parents and caregivers.
  • Provide grants for start-up costs for new infant/toddler programs, equipment and educational materials, minor renovation and repairs for health and safety requirements, and meeting PITC program standards such as small groups and continuity of care.
  • Expand the Child Care Initiative Program (CCIP) to increase the number of family child care providers who serve infants and toddlers. Through the California child care resource and referral agencies, the CCIP recruits, trains and provides initial support for these providers.
  • Develop a series of 10-15 outreach sessions for key stakeholders from various targeted groups at the state and local level to provide information about the importance of creating high-quality programs for infants and toddlers. Topics will include current brain development research and implications for administrative policies, results of national studies of child care quality, and program practices and caregiving strategies that support optimal infant/toddler development.
  • Conduct a series of four regional three-day forums for teams of key stakeholders from underserved areas to initiate planning activities to increase the supply of quality services for infants and toddlers.
  • Develop a "next steps" video to provide implementation strategies to address key issues identified in the PITC video, In Our Hands.
  • Provide training for PITC certified graduates on strategies, program practices, and models to support inclusion of infants and toddlers with disabilities in child care settings.
  • Expand the PITC trainer-of-trainer institutes to include another set of module trainings each year.
  • Provide stipends for PITC certified trainers to conduct training sessions and onsite consultation for development of new programs, expansion of existing programs, and enhancement of quality in all infant/toddler programs.
  • Select five community college sites to become model PITC training sites.
  • Provide five regional PITC coordinators to organize and oversee activities at the model PITC sites and to support the PITC certified graduates in the region by arranging regular meetings, overseeing the allocation of trainer stipends, and coordinating outreach to new and existing programs.
  • Once all components of this plan are in place, the quantity and quality of infant/toddler services is expected to increase through-out the state, especially in those areas with the greatest unmet need for services. Plans are being developed for evaluating the impact of these support systems.

For more information, contact Mary Smithberger, Child Development Consultant, Child Development Division, California Department of Education, at: (916) 323-1342 or Peter Mangione, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Center for Child and Family Studies, WestEd, at: (415) 331-1469.

up arrowConnecticut Builds Capacity and Enhances School Readiness

As we look ahead to the implications of recent brain research, the findings show that the experiences a child has in the years before beginning school are more important than we may have imagined. These are the years that can shape a child's capacity, desire, and readiness to learn.

The Connecticut School Readiness and Child Care Grant Program for Priority School Districts will expand and enhance school readiness for 3- and 4-year-old children and provide for their child care needs through partnership grants to local communities for high quality programs.
Eligible applicants are the 14 Connecticut municipalities that have been defined as Priority School Districts and towns that have one or more schools in areas with a high concentration of children in poverty. Applications must be submitted jointly by the chief elected official and the superintendent of schools with the participation and recommendation of the community's School Readiness Council.

For fiscal year 1998-99, the State Department of Education and Department of Social Services will fund grants to these communities totaling $40 million for full and part-time programs. An additional $1.5 million in Quality Enhancement grants will also be distributed to these municipalities.

Only programs that are accredited, in the process of being accredited or approved by the State as offering a high quality educational program are eligible for funding. In addition they must meet the following service standards:

  • A plan for collaboration with other community programs and services and for the coordination of resources in order to facilitate full-day, year-round programs for children of working parents and parents in education or training programs;
  • Parent involvement, parent training and outreach;
  • Referrals for health services, including referrals for appropriate immunizations and screenings;
  • Nutrition services;
  • Referrals to family literacy programs that incorporate basic adult education and provide for the promotion of literacy through access to public library service;
  • Admission policies that promote the enrollment of children from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds and from other communities;
  • A plan for the transition of participating children from the school readiness program to kindergarten;
  • A plan for the professional development of staff;
  • A sliding fee scale for participating families;
  • An annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the program.

Each municipality convenes a School Readiness Council to advise the school superintendent and chief elected official. A request for proposals is offered to local provider agencies by the municipality. Programs are selected and incorporated in the local plan and grant application and the application is submitted to the State for approval and funding. Funding is projected to increase through state fiscal year 2001-2002.

For more information, contact Susan Wilson, Lead Planning Analyst, Connecticut Department of Social Services at: (860) 424-5332, or contact Joyce Staples, Connecticut Department of Education at: (860) 807-2057.

Child Care Bulletin Logo   Child Care Technical Assistance Network

Seven projects comprise the Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) which the Child Care Bureau has designed to address the needs of States, Territories, and Tribes administering the Child Care and Development Fund. The seven projects include:

The Map to Inclusive Child Care Project (860-679-4632) helps to ensure that children with disabilities, ages birth through 12, will have access to child care alongside their typically developing peers. During 1998, the following states received technical assistance to address child care service delivery for children with disabilities: California, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont. Teams from each of these states conducted a strategic planning process to identify state specific priorities and work plans.
Contact: Mary Beth Bruder, Project Director, at: (860) 679-4632, e-mail: Bruder@NSO1.UCHC.EDU

The Child Care Information System (CCIS) Project (888-821-6997) provides technical assistance to meet the CCDF reporting requirements. The CCIS project supports a national child care automation conference, a State and Territory technical workshop, model documentation for systems design, an Internet web site, and a child care automation resource center. The project is assisted by a Functional Requirements Organizing Group (FROG) of representatives from ten States.

The Child Care Bureau Logistical Support Project (CCBLSP) (202-639-4465) coordinates and supports national and regional child care events including national conferences for State, Territorial and Tribal Administrators. Other activities include national forums; regional conferences; State Issues Workgroup Meetings; and audioconference calls on child care issues.
Contact: Vincent Gooden, Project Director, at: (202) 639-4465, e-mail: goodenv@aol.com

The Healthy Child Care America Campaign (888-227-5409) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Child Care Bureau and Maternal and Child Health Bureau. It is a collaborative effort of health care professionals, child care providers, and families working in partnership to improve the health and well-being of children in child care settings. The project assists states, Tribes, and communities to develop and strengthen linkages between providers, health professionals, and families through informational resources and contact networks; descriptions of child care initiatives; funding and assistance for regional child care health and safety initiatives; and a child passenger safety training program.
Contact: Sheryl Nelson, Healthy Child Care America Program Manager, American Academy of Pediatrics, at: (888) 227-5409, e-mail: childcare@aap.org

The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) (800-616-2242), in collaboration with the ERIC Clearinghouse on Early Childhood and Elementary Education, supports the development of child care expertise and dissemination via information and referral services, Internet web site, publications and presentations. A network of State Technical Assistance Specialists, working with the ACF Regional Offices, provides onsite support to State grantees. NCCIC convenes a national organizations workgroup to share information on current activities, priorities, and trends. NCCIC also supports and helps track CCTAN activities.
Contact: Anne Goldstein, Project Director, at: (800) 616-2242 or (703) 938-6031, e-mail: agoldste@nccic.org. Visit the NCCIC web site at: http://nccic.org

The Child Care Partnership Project (202-628-4200) provides information and technical assistance to state child care administrators as they work with businesses, philanthropic organizations, and other groups to build and sustain partnerships which improve the quality, supply, and access to care for working families. Activities include identifying and tracking practices for promoting public-private partnerships at both the state and community levels; developing a series of written technical assistance materials to guide the formation and implementation of successful partnerships; and conducting a national conference.
Contact: Sharon Deich, Project Manager, at: (202) 628-4200, e-mail: sdeich@financeproject.org

The Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center (TriTAC) (800-388-7670) provides technical assistance to Indian Tribes and tribal organizations to help increase the availability and quality of child care, develop more coordinated delivery systems, promote linkages with State and local programs, and improve child care opportunities for families, providers, and tribal commu-nities. Technical assistance includes a toll-free information and referral line; a database of tribal child care programs including promising practices and resources; development of software packages for data reporting and program man-agement; an Internet web site; newsletter; annual national tribal child care conference; cluster and onsite technical assistance.

Contact: Linda Kills Crow, Project Director, at: (918) 287-2692, e-mail: Kills@fullnet.net, or contact TriTAC, at: (800) 388-7670, e-mail: tritac2@aol.com

For more information about the Child Care Bureau's Child Care Technical Assistance Network, contact Lillian Sugarman, at: (202) 690-6243 or e-mail: lsugarman@acf.hhs.gov

up arrowMy Vision for Child Care

Janet Wise National Indian Child Care Association (NICCA)

As I began to collect my thoughts for an article on "My Vision for Child Care," I came to the realization that child care is a rapidly evolving issue -- one which administrators not only need to keep abreast of, but to continually plan and develop. Within a brief period of only a few years, child care has come from a public perception of "a minor matter of finding a babysitter" to a component of a major plan of welfare reform without which the plan could not be fully implemented.

For tribal nations, the ability to construct new facilities now provides additional opportunities to plan and implement cultural, educational, and child development programs for their children. My hope is that by providing safe, quality programs at the earliest age possible, we will be able to nurture each child to develop to his or her full potential as well as instill values, positive self esteem, and pride in our cultures.

My vision is to provide a holistic approach to the families that we serve, to educate the parents regarding child rearing practices, developmental stages of their children, and the difference between adequate and quality child care programs. I would hope that we, as child care providers and administrators, become more adept at identifying children's needs, recognizing developmental delays, and providing necessary assessments in order to seek resources for families and be keenly sensitive to their needs.

By providing a more proactive and responsive approach to our children's needs, we will provide for them a strong and solid background as they leave our care and begin their journey towards knowledge and understanding of the world which we share.

Janet Wise is Chairperson of the National Indian Child Care Association, which works for quality child care in Native American communities. For more information, contact Janet at: (918) 758-1463 or (918) 756-8700, ext. 699.

up arrowOpportunities for Tribal CCDF Grantees to Construct and Renovate Child Care Facilities

As part of the new Child Care and Development Fund, Tribes have the opportunity to use funds for construction and renovation of child care facilities. Nearly 90 Tribes have submitted proposals to construct or renovate with CCDF funds. Each proposal is unique, with each Tribe forming a plan to meet the needs of the children and families living in its own community. Several projects are relatively small, while other plans call for an investment of $1 million or more. In creating these new endeavors, tribal programs have faced a number of challenges, ranging from creating a business plan with multiple partners to identifying and obtaining appropriate land for the child care facility.

Applications to use funds for construction and renovation must be received in the ACF Regional Office by July 1 of the fiscal year in which the funds will be used. For more information, contact Andrew Williams at the Child Care Bureau at (202) 401-4795.

up arrowChild Care Resource and Referral: Meeting the Challenges for Families Today and Tomorrow

Sandy Skolnik

Envision a future in which every parent has a variety of child care choices and access to affordable, quality care along with information on the healthy development of children, effective parenting strategies, and ways to assess and choose good quality care. Imagine community planners, policy makers, researchers, corporate and philanthropic decision makers, and other leaders having access to the data they need to develop systems that support a healthy start for all children, and an increased supply of affordable child care in quality programs with skilled, caring professionals.

The mission of each child care resource and referral agency is to "do whatever it takes to make child care work for families and communities." Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs) operate to support the child care needs of communities in two different ways: one, as a service for families, providers, employers, and others in the community; and two, as a part of the policy infrastructure for a diverse and often fragmented child care system. CCR&Rs are hubs for many varied child care activities, and provide permanent, local, adaptable structures through which public and private groups can work together to improve the quality and increase the accessibility, availability, and affordability of child care.

For the past eight years, the Maryland Child Care Resource Network has been evolving. From a three-year demonstration project that established a Statewide Child Care Resource Center and three Regional Child Care Resource Centers, the vision has grown to scale and will consist of 13 Regional Child Care Resource and Referral Centers. The Maryland Committee for Children has provided oversight and technical assistance to the project from its inception.

In Maryland, the following set of goals were established in order to successfully demonstrate the capacity of the Child Care Resource Network:

1) A true system of services for children, families, and child care providers will be established with ready access by all to a full range of services. These services are provided on the basis of the needs of children, families, providers, and employers, rather than institutional convenience. The system features "state of the art" services, evaluation systems, management techniques, and accountability services.

2) The child care delivery system recognizes the needs of the child as the core recipient of its services and strives to balance the best interests of children with the needs of parents, employers, and the child care community.

3) The system of services is committed to principles of quality and excellence in early childhood education. This consideration permeates the design, organization, and delivery of all services and will continue to serve as a model for child care delivery systems.

4) The delivery system is accessible, affordable, efficient, facilitative of and sensitive to parent choice, able to produce a quality level desirable to parents, able to coordinate ancillary health and social services, able to combine public and private sources of funds, visible to and supported by the public, destigmatized and decategorized, and committed to a common purpose overall.

For more information, contact Sandy Skolnik, Executive Director of the Maryland Committee for Children, 608 Water Street, Baltimore, MD 21202-4079, phone: (410) 752-7588, fax: (410) 752-6286. World Wide Web: http://www.charm.net/~mcc/

Resources on Child Care Resource and Referral

National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) (202-393-5501) promotes the growth and development of quality resource and referral services and exercises leadership in building a diverse, high quality child care system with parental choice and equal access for all families.

Making Child Care Work: A Study of Child Care Resource and Referral in the United States – Major Findings is an informative report which includes survey findings and analyses about CCR&R programs, services, roles and activities which support services for families and providers.

For more information, contact NACCRRA, 1319 F Street, NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20004-1106, call: (202) 393-5501. Visit the web site at: http://www.naccrra.net/

up arrowWorking Together to Create Quality School-Age Care Programs

An-Me Chung

New public and private resources are available to help create and expand programs to serve school-age children during out-of-school time. School-age care has become a national agenda. From the President and Vice President to state legislators and local governments, people are talking about out-of-school time and taking action. Congress has proposed 40 bills in the past year involving child care during out-of-school time for children and youth.

New and existing federal dollars combined with state money have led to recent initiatives across the nation:

  • California appropriated $50 million for after-school programming. The bill established the After School Learning and Safe Neighborhoods Partnerships Program to create incentives for establishing after-school enrichment programs for pupils in kindergarten and grades 1-9 at participating school sites.
  • Delaware awarded a $386,000 grant to the state's resource and referral agency to develop new slots for infants, create school-age programs, and offer care for kids on holidays and snow days.
  • Hawaii, the first state to pass out-of-school time legislation, continues to maintain nearly universal care for school-age children.
  • The governor of Indiana launched a new program that will put $6 million into school-age programs in the coming year.
  • New Jersey appropriated $3 million for school-age after-school programs.
  • Connecticut passed a $20 million Early Reading Success Act providing full-day kindergarten, reduced class size, reading programs for certain school districts, and summer and after-school programs for children at risk.
  • The state of Georgia awarded grants of up to $175,000 to school systems to establish after-school programs for academically at-risk youth.

 Look for a publication later this year by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time and Federal partners about what State governments are doing in the area of after-school enrichment and learning programs.

An-Me Chung, Ph.D. is the Associate Director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST). For more information, contact NIOST, Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, Wellesley, MA 02481, or call: (781) 283-3497. Visit the web site at: http://www.wellesley.edu/WCW/CRW/SAC

Resources for School-Age Care Programs

Organizations:

National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) (781-283-2547) works toJuly 15, 2005s through conducting research, education and training, consultations, program and community development, and public awareness.

National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) (617-298-5012) is a professional support network for quality school-age care. NSACA promotes professional development and public policy development through training and technical assistance, standards for quality school-age care programs, and a Program Improvement and Accreditation System.

Publications:

ARQ: Advancing and Recognizing Quality is the school-age program improvement and accreditation system jointly developed by the NIOST and NSACA. It involves a review of NSACA's standards of quality, a self-study process, and an onsite accreditation review visit. For more information, write to: National School-Age Care Alliance, 1137 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02124, call: (617) 298-5012, or e-mail: ARQ@nsaca.org

Safe and Smart: Making the After-School Hours Work for Kids is a publication developed by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice to present research and examples of after-school programs, activities, and practices that have a positive impact on school-age children.

For more information, write to: U.S. Department of Education, Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-8173, call: (800) USA-LEARN, e-mail: Partner@ed.gov and in full text at the web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SafeandSmart/

This page is being maintained on the NCCIC web site for historical purposes. As a result, not all information may be current.

 
PDF Icon Need Adobe Reader?