8.3 Coordination with Child Care Resource and Referral Systems

Lead Agencies may use CCDF funds to establish or support a system or network of local or regional child care resource and referral (CCR&R) organizations that is coordinated, to the extent determined by the Lead Agency, by a statewide public or private non-profit, community-based or regionally based, lead child care resource and referral organization (such as a statewide CCR&R network). If Lead Agencies use CCDF funds for local CCR&R organizations, the local or regional CCR&R organizations supported by those funds must, at the direction of the Lead Agency: • Provide parents in the State with consumer education information concerning the full range of child care options (including faith-based and community-based child care providers), analyzed by provider, including child care provided during non-traditional hours and through emergency child care centers, in their area. • To the extent practicable, work directly with families who receive assistance to offer the families support and assistance to make an informed decision about which child care providers they will use to ensure that the families are enrolling their children in the most appropriate child care setting that suits their needs and one that is of high quality (as determined by the Lead Agency). • Collect data and provide information on the coordination of services and supports, including services under Part B, Section 619 and Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. • Collect data and provide information on the supply of and demand for child care services in areas of the State and submit the information to the Lead Agency. • Work to establish partnerships with public agencies and private entities, including faith- based and community-based child care providers, to increase the supply and quality of child care services in the State and, as appropriate, coordinate their activities with the activities of the Lead Agency and local agencies that administer funds made available through CCDF. 8.3.1 Funding a system or network of CCR&R organization(s) Does the Lead Agency fund a system or network of local or regional CCR&R organization(s)? [ ] No. The Lead Agency does not fund a system or network of local or regional CCR&R organization(s) and has no plans to establish one. [ ] No, but the Lead Agency has plans to develop a system or network of local or regional CCR&R organization(s). [x] Yes. The Lead Agency funds a system or network of local or regional CCR&R organization(s) with all the responsibilities outlined above. If yes, describe the activities outlined above carried out by the CCR&R organization(s), as directed by the Lead Agency: The Oregon CCRR system is funded by CCDF through the Lead Agency contracts with statewide and local organizations. It is comprised of fifteen (15) local regional CCRR programs assigned to service delivery areas, and one central coordination agency - The Research Institute at Western Oregon University as the CCR&R State Coordinating Network. Portland State University's Oregon Center for Career Development houses the Career Lattice for child care providers and 211info is the child care referral call center. This partnership provides: child care referrals to parents seeking child care; recruitment, training, professional development, and retention of child care providers; and collection, reporting, maintenance, and administration of data related to child care. 211info provides child care referrals, consumer education information on quality child care, and consultation for parents seeking child care. The local child care resource and referral agencies recruit child care providers in accordance with each community's identified needs for serving vulnerable populations. CCRRs provide training and technical assistance for existing and prospective child care providers and promote retention and supply building through support to the early childhood education workforce. These supports include training, coaching, mentoring, consulting, and advising on professional development and child care business strategies. The CCRR programs deliver training required to meet state and federal regulations. The programs also support ongoing professional development efforts for continuous quality improvement including assisting child care programs to meet licensing and Spark (Oregon's Quality Rating and Improvement System) standards and implementing focused child care networks that provide education and one-on-one consultation to participating programs to embed learning into practice. CCRRs are a part of Oregon’s statewide coaching system providing coaching to Preschool Promise programs in each region. Coaching and consultation services are provided to all publicly funded Preschool Promise programs through each child care resource and referral with dedicated staff in Quality Improvement Specialist and Quality Coach positions. Each CCRR also has at least one full-time Infant Toddler Specialist working with early care and education programs to increase the quality of care for infants and toddlers in the mixed delivery system. The Research Institute provides support for the child care resource and referral system through coordination of state trainings and providing technical assistance to system partners. Central Coordination maintains and administers the Find Child Care Oregon (FCCO) database and provides quarterly reports on the supply and demand for child care services both regionally and in the state. The Oregon Center for Career Development administers Oregon's career lattice, the Oregon Registry. The 15 local CCRR agencies work regionally in partnership with their Early Learning Hub to increase quality of the workforce through advancement in Oregon's career lattice system, the Oregon Registry, and to obtain Spark rating. Two shared measurements between the local CCRR and Early Learning Hubs are increasing number of providers with Spark rating and increasing number of children receiving subsidies in a Spark rated program. 211info is the centralized child care referral call center and is responsible for responding to parents seeking child care that best meets their children's needs. CCRR programs update the child care provider data in Find Child Care Oregon so that the data that 211info uses for referrals is accurate and up-to-date. The child care team at 211info provides quality referrals for parents and includes community referrals from the 211info general database, which holds over 30,000 community services. Parents calling for child care referrals can also access community referrals such as WIC, SNAP, health care, housing, etc. dependent on their needs. All parents also receive eligibility information about child care subsidies and how to access them. 211info collects information on referrals for children with special needs to other services, including Section 619 and Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Child care referrals are accessed in a variety of ways. 211info child care consultants are available Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 11:00 pm and Saturday - Sunday, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm and can respond to calls, emails, and texts. Two types of referrals are provided based on parent needs: basic and enhanced. Basic referrals include a minimum of three provider information summaries, consumer education on quality child care and a disclaimer informing parents that provider profiles are referrals and not recommendations. Parents also receive the Lead Agency's Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) phone number and links to the parent safety portal on the Lead Agency website for researching licensing compliance and complaint information, and information on child care subsidies. Provider information summaries list hours, program attributes, ages and ranges of children served, and other pertinent data. Consumer education includes current research-based quality indicators, an interview checklist for quality, and the types of child care options. Enhanced referrals include a basic referral plus additional information based on the parent's needs. They require more time than basic referrals and support parents in accessing other community services such as WIC, SNAP, housing health care, and TANF. Enhanced referrals apply a comprehensive and holistic approach in assisting parents find child care and other services as needed. The 211info child care team and the local child care resource and referral programs work together to support early care and education providers and parents. Following the no wrong door approach, parents calling the local child care resource and referral programs for child care referrals continue to receive services and then are referred to 211info for any subsequent referrals. The Oregon Center for Career Development manages the state's professional development system which includes the Oregon Registry Online (the professional development database), the Oregon Registry (the career lattice), the Oregon Registry Trainer Program, and scholarships and incentive payments to the workforce. The Research Institute provides central coordination for child care resource and referral programs including communication, technical assistance, regional training assessments and training plans built on the results, and data services to the partners. In addition, The Research Institute administers Spark (Oregon's QRIS), and provides significant technical assistance to all parts of the child care resource and referral system.