Child Care Services Aim To Help

3-26-10

Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) services are provided through contracts with the state Office of Children and Family Services. 
There are 39 CCR&R agencies statewide. 
In Otsego County, CCR&R services are provided by The Child Care Connection, a program of Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties. 
The state Office of Children and Family Services’ interest is to make sure that the services offered by CCR&R agencies are of value to the people they are intended to serve. 
The basis for these services is to assure that quality child care is available and accessible to the children and families in New York.  
New York State is in the pilot phase of implementing a new quality rating and improvement system called QUALITYstarsNY. 
Programs will receive a rating of between one and five stars based on a total program evaluation, similar to the star rating system used by hotels and restaurants. 
Once evaluated, programs will complete an improvement plan that targets what can be done to improve their quality rating.  There will be a focus on programming and professional development. 
The rating system will be a tool to assist parents in evaluating quality care when making site visits and conducting interviews to choose a program for their child. 
Many people do not know what Child Care Resource & Referral agencies do, or that they even exist. 
CCR&R agencies serve child-care providers, parents, businesses and community groups.  As a CCR&R program, the Child Care Connection is a portal of information to child-care providers. 
CCR&R agencies offer technical assistance and training, access to a health-care consultant and access to the Child and Adult Care Food program (CACFP). 
The CACFP is a program that reimburses child care providers for nutritious meals and snacks served.  Recruitment and training of child care providers is one way CCR&R programs increase the child care that is available.  
Parent services offered through CCR&R agencies include:  referrals for parents to child care programs, information about types of care available, the average cost of child care, information about quality child care and how to choose the best type of care for each child. 
CCR&R agencies are available to provide assistance to businesses looking to aid their employees with their child care needs through presentations and on-site referrals.
CCR&R agency staff members sit on advisory boards, are involved in community events and are members of organizations that promote the betterment of family life and the improvement of early care and education.
In February, the state Network of CCR&R agencies officially began our quest to become Quality Assured through the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. 
The development of QUALITYstarsNY is one reason that CCR&R agencies statewide have begun the process of becoming NACCRRA Quality Assured. 
The hope is that by going through this process, agencies will be in a better position to assist child care providers with quality improvement efforts.  In Otsego County, the Child Care Connection is preparing to do just that.
 NACCRRA Quality Assurance will also help CCR&R agencies to improve services to parents, businesses and the community and to become strong advocates for families and early childhood programming.

Christy R. Houck is director of The Child Care Connection, a program of Catholic Charities of        Delaware and Otsego counties.  She will be  writing occasional columns to raise public awareness about child-care issues.