California’s Child Care Initiative Project

Description

Want to learn about public-private partnerships? Just contact the California Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP). For over 15 years, CCIP has been creating strategic alliances between the public and private sector to improve the quality and supply of child care in California. Through the creation of a locally based resource and referral network, CCIP has been able to sustain the interest of parents, providers, and the business community in advocating for more and better care.

Partners

Since its inception in 1985, the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network has engaged the following partners in CCIP:

• Private businesses: Chevron U.S.A., Inc., Pacific Gas & Electric, and Levi Strauss & Co.;
• Foundations: David and Lucile Packard, American Express, Ford, Charles S. Mott, S.H. Cowell, Bank America, Child Care Fund, Wells Fargo, and The San Francisco Foundation;
• Government: the Child Development Division of the California Department of Education; and
• Child care community: local resource and referral agencies and child care providers.

History and Development

In 1984, the White House sponsored a series of conferences around the country designed to engage the private sector in child care. At one such conference in San Francisco, the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (CCCRRN) released an information kit and a published, statistical report of demographics for young children, identifing the many gaps that existed in child care services. These materials supplied the data for the headlines that compelled the corporate community to join forces with members of the child care community to find needed solutions. Bank of America, in particular, seized the opportunity to become involved and began extensive negotiations with the Network on next steps. As a result, the state of California passed legislation in 1985 that created the Child Care Initiative Project.

Current Activities

CCIP now supports the activities of local resource and referral agencies across the state. Local resource and referrals agencies train child care providers and recruit new partners. The statewide network distributes the funds of the initiative and provides administrative support for the collaborations. CCIP’s activities use a flexible, five-part model that includes recruiting, licensing, training, providing technical assistance, and administering funds.

Some of CCIPs newest activities demonstrate its responsiveness to community needs.

1. While the initial focus was on training licensed family child care providers, CCIP has in recent years opened training to license-exempt providers and family resource centers.
2. CCIP is critically reviewing the quality and supply of child care that exists at the neighborhood level. The Circles of Caring program, started in the summer of 1999, operates in four low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles to determine how to support the infrastructure of child care at the neighborhood level.
3. CCIP has adapted its core training curriculum for Spanish-speaking providers to better meet the needs of the Spanish speaking community. CCIP has also produced publications, designed specifically for Spanish-speaking providers, as a practical guide to providing safe, quality child care.

Resources

To date, the project has raised over $9 million from 440 public- and private-sector funders, including an annual commitment of up to $250,000 in matching funds from the State of California. $250,000 of the funding is set aside from the federal Child Care and Development Fund for quality improvements. This state funding is legislated and has been reauthorized two times. In 1999, the state matching money was incorporated into the Education Code to avoid future reauthorization hearings.

Funders can contribute either directly to the statewide CCIP or to the local child care resource and referral agencies. The state of California provides a public matching fund for all dollars raised to the statewide initiative on a 2:1 basis up to $250,000 per year. The fund, originally administered by The San Francisco Foundation, is now administered solely by the CCCRRN.

Each year, the Network has been able to raise funds to access the full match from the state. Local resource and referral agencies participating in CCIP typically raise half their project budgets from city and county governments, public agencies, foundations, and businesses in their local communities. Local dollars are then matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the statewide fund, up to $25,000 per project.

Results

Since its inception in 1985, CCIP has generated the following results:

• 5,190 new family child care providers were licensed; they can serve 20,157 children;
• Over 35,200 providers have received basic and advanced training in business skills, and in providing safe, high-quality child care; and
• 13 projects received funding to recruit and train Spanish speaking providers; the projects recruited 401 new licensed Spanish-speaking providers, creating 1,373 new child care spaces.

Sustaining and Replicating

Locating the CCIP in the statewide Resource and Referral Network has given it stability and credibility. The collaborative nature of resource and referral agencies strengthens the voice of individual child care providers, leverages funds from public and private sources, and builds access to a network of influential partners.

CCIP credits customer responsiveness for its success in sustaining and replicating its work over the years. According to the executive director of CCCRRN, Patty Siegel, "If you pay attention to the people you’re training and support their needs, they will tell you your next steps." This philosophy led CCIP to pursue projects that not only reflect the needs of the community, but also enable CCIP to explore new, unforeseen directions.

Other states have found CCIP’s programs and philosophy attractive and have replicated parts of its work. Both Michigan and Oregon have legislation that provides state support for partnerships like CCIP that leverage private funds to build the capacity of family child care. Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, and Arkansas have replicated CCIP’s programs that address the needs of Latino providers.

Lessons Learned

Strategic positioning. In most states, resource and referral agencies are not located within state government, but they receive state support. This position enables the resource and referral agencies to be more flexible and responsive toward private partners than their government counterparts, and they are more in tune with the pulse of their community. Thus, they provide an attractive infrastructure for both the public and private sector by serving as neutral intermediaries.

Tangible products. Describe your results in written products. Providers, partners, and participants want to put their hands on something of which they can be proud.

Enough partners to engage new partners. Encourage business partners to recruit other businesses as partners and/or contributors. Direct the energy of an enthusiastic new partner toward this effort. An activity that may require little work for a company may prove invaluable to sustaining and strengthening the overall partnership.

Disseminate data. Data can compel both corporate and state partners to get involved. Funders are analytical and want hard numbers. If you can say, "We have trained over 35,000 providers," it is impressive to them. Collect, analyze, and report data as a means to support your mission.

Cultivate the media. CCIP recognizes that success follows the documentation and sharing of results with the media and general public. CCIP has effectively cultivated media attention over the years with its mantra, "Don’t just throw the graduation party, invite the press!"

Contact Information

Patty Siegel, Executive Director
California Child Care Resource & Referral Network
111 New Montgomery Street, 7^th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 882-0234
Fax: (415) 882-6233
Web site: http://www.rrnetwork.org