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The Child Care Partnership Project Chicago Accreditation Partnership |
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Description In the early 1990s, low-income parents searching for accredited child care programs in Chicago had to look well beyond their own neighborhoods. Prior to 1993, there was not one Head Start or child care program in Chicago's poor communities that had achieved the high-quality standards of accreditation. The Chicago Accreditation Partnership has changed that reality. The project is a partnership between the City of Chicago and a number of corporations and foundations that are helping Head Start and child care programs to become accredited. By providing funding, training, and technical assistance, The Partnership is working to ensure that low-income children in Chicago receive child care that meets the highest quality standards. Partners The following public- and private-sector partners are responsible for the initial
success of the Chicago Accreditation Partnership:
History and Development In 1994, The McCormick Tribune Foundation launched a pilot initiative to increase
the number of accredited child care and Head Start programs serving Chicago's
low-income communities. They funded the Chicago Metro Area Association for the
Education of Young Children to provide the technical and monetary assistance
that child care and Head Start programs needed to complete the accreditation
process. By the fall of 1997, over 40 programs received accreditation with assistance
from the project. The success of the accreditation pilot project attracted the involvement of
new public and private partners. The mayor's office and the Chicago Department
of Human Services became very interested in contributing to and extending the
benefits of the project. Seeing the city's interest, the McCormick Tribune Foundation
offered to match any funds that the city provided. The mayor's office met this
challenge by pledging $5 million to The Partnership over five years. They also
made a call for other foundations and businesses in the area to join in the
public-private partnership. A number of businesses and foundations responded
to the request for involvement, launching a five-year, $16-million public-private
partnership in 1999. It's goal is to help 400 providers in low-income communities
raise their standards through accreditation. Current Activities A leadership council that includes representatives from government, businesses, the child care community, and foundations governs the work of the Chicago Accreditation Partnership. There are three separate advisory committees of the governance council addressing accreditation, development of resources to support partnership activities, and public policy. The Chicago Accreditation Partnership subcontracts with three agencies to assist child care and Head Start providers throughout Chicago to successfully pursue accreditation. The Ecumenical Child Care Network works with faith-based programs; the Office of Catholic Education works with Catholic Charities programs; and the National-Louis University works with all of the other providers throughout the city. These technical assistance providers recruit and help programs to navigate
the accreditation process, and administer funds to pay for the costs associated
with accreditation, such as application fees, validation visit fees, facility
improvements, equipment, and professional development. In order to receive the
assistance, programs must either 1) be funded by contracts from the Chicago
Department of Human Services or the Illinois Department of Human Services; or
2) at least 50 percent of the children a program enrolls must receive state
child care vouchers. In addition, the program must go through the accreditation
process of at least one of the following five national accreditation agencies:
The Chicago Accreditation Partnership also works to create awareness
of the importance of quality standards among policy-makers, providers, and parents.
For example, Partnership leaders are advocating for state policy improvements,
such as tiered reimbursement, that reinforce and encourage efforts to improve
program quality by providing higher reimbursement rates to accredited programs. Resources The Child Care Accreditation Partnership is supported by $16 million-$5 million from the City of Chicago, $5 million from the McCormick Tribune Foundation, and $6 million from a number of other foundations and corporations (see Partners section). Results Since its inception in 1994, the Chicago Accreditation Partnership has achieved impressive results. Chicago now leads the nation in the number of accredited centers. As of the fall of 2000, approximately 120 child care and Head Start programs in Chicago had received accreditation and 129 programs were in the self-study process for accreditation. In addition, the Partnership has succeeded in increasing awareness among providers, parents, and policymakers of the importance of accreditation. Sustaining and Replicating Leaders of the Chicago Accreditation Partnership view continued and expanded
collaboration as central to the project's sustainability. Potential partners
that the initiative's leaders are beginning to work with include: the Chicago
Department of Human Services; the Chicago public schools (which operate many
state pre-kindergarten programs); the TEACH program (a national initiative that
ties increases in training to increased compensation); and a local public relations
firm to help them with public awareness activities. The Chicago Accreditation
Partnership leaders believe that by focusing both on carefully maintaining existing
partnerships and forging new alliances, they will maintain the resources and
commitment necessary to sustain the initiative. Lessons Learned Build trust with partners. Maintain a focus on building relationships and trust when working in partnerships, particularly if you are working with entities that have traditionally been marginalized or neglected. Partnership staff spent a great deal of time building relationships and trust with the providers in low-income communities. As a result, many providers are committed to the long and intensive process of accreditation. Engage the decision-makers. If you do not have support from the key decision-maker within an entity, efforts at partnership may be futile. In order for child care and Head Start programs to be accepted to participate in the Chicago Accreditation Partnership, their top administrators must sign on to the process. Take time to plan carefully. At every step, the Chicago
Accreditation Partnership takes time for careful assessment of needs and resources.
Partnership leaders credit their success to knowing where investments are most
needed, setting clear goals, and carefully targeting their resources. Contact Information Jamilah Jor'dan, M.Ed. |
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