Indiana Child Care Symposium Initiative

Description

In the state of Indiana, new teams are forming—not athletic teams, but groups uniting together to improve child care. The purpose of the Indiana Child Care Symposium Initiative is to join public and private interests together to address local child care issues. Groups of business, community, and child care leaders form teams in counties throughout the state to attack community child care issues. Each local team identifies strategies and outcomes for improving child care. The strong response by counties led organizers to change the focus from an annual symposium event to ongoing technical assistance sessions organized around topics identified by local teams. With support from national and state experts, state officials, philanthropies, and corporate mentors, teams are making a difference at the local level.

Partners in the project include:

• Indiana Family and Social Services Administration;
• Indiana businesses such as Eli Lilly and Co.; Dekko Foundation; Cummins Engine; USA Group; IvyTech State College; Purdue University; NIPSCO; Conseco; Wishard Health Services; the law firm of Ice, Miller, Donadio & Ryan; and child care professional organizations;
• local governments; and
• concerned citizens and community groups.

On November 15, 1995, the Child Care Action Campaign and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration hosted the first Indiana Symposium on Child Care Financing. The mission of the Symposium Initiative was to involve private employers in investing in and improving child care for working families. That first year, 17 county-based teams participated, and the symposium was so successful that it became an annual event. Currently, all 92 counties in Indiana have an opportunity to continue the work of the symposium. Instead of an annual event, teams now receive ongoing technical assistance on topics that they identify.

Teams typically include elected officials; employers; parents; representatives from financial institutions, community foundations, private industry councils, and chambers of commerce; and members of the health, education, and child care industries. Teams submit proposals to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration in order to receive funding for a child care initiative. Plans are approved based on the strength of the team and the quality of the plan.

Indiana has a history of active local community involvement in state government. Each county has a Step Ahead Council working to improve the delivery of services to children and families, and team plans for the Symposium initiative are submitted through the county Step Ahead Councils. In some counties, the Step Ahead Council develops and administers the child care initiative. In other counties, a member of the Step Ahead Council serves on the Symposium Initiative team. Once the council’s plan is approved, the state provides resources for teams to bring in national and state experts, state officials, philanthropic agencies, and corporate mentors to guide teams in their local initiatives.

Each county is unique in its activities. Most of the counties began with a needs assessment to identify the major child care problems in the community and then tailored their plan to address these needs. An analysis of 68 county projects by Purdue University in early 1998 showed that 96 percent of the local projects are designed to improve the quality and/or capacity of child care. Most counties are pursuing a variety of strategies, including raising community awareness of child care issues. A county-by-county description of initiatives is available through the Internet at http://www.ai.org/fssa/HTML/inChildFinancing.html.

Each Symposium team is assigned a mentor from the private sector. Cinergy Corporation, a utility company, provides the majority of mentors through their Symposium Corporate Mentor Initiative. Cinergy’s local community and economic development managers share their expertise in financing, marketing, and managing public-private partnerships. Leaders from each of the participating private corporations also serve as mentors.

In 1995, 26 corporate sponsors donated $2,000 each to support the first symposium event. In fiscal year 1997, Governor Frank O’Bannon designated $3 million from the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) to continue the work of the symposium teams. In 1998, he doubled the allocation to $6 million. County-based teams also receive local public and private funds to pay for staff time, space, and equipment.

Teams are producing a variety of results. These include:

• new and refurbished child care centers;
• employer-supported child care training funds;
• family child care loan funds;
• mentoring for infant-care providers;
• employee surveys;
• increased media coverage and public awareness;
• more than 1,200 new infant and toddler licensed slots;
• more than 1,500 child care professionals participating in the CDA credentialing process;
• more second- and third-shift child care facilities;
• child care partnerships with public housing projects and the faith community; and
• business consortiums delivering on-site or near-site child care services.

The Child and Family Studies Department at Purdue University is conducting a statewide evaluation to measure the impact of the child care initiative teams. The evaluation seeks to answer two questions:

• What is the impact of the symposium on Indiana counties? and
• How do public and private-partnerships plan and work to improve and expand child care?

The evaluation also will produce a guide on financing strategies. The release of the final report is scheduled for the spring of 1999.

The sustainability of the local Child Care Symposium Initiative teams varies based on the strength and longevity of the teams. Several teams were operational before the first symposium, and the additional funds gave them the opportunity to expand their focus. Other teams formed because of the initiative, and the future of the team depends largely on continued financial support and technical assistance from the state. Many teams use the state funds to pay the administrative expenses that accumulate in the early stage, when the team is assessing local needs and generating local support.

The success of the Symposium Initiative led to the formation of the Indiana Child Care Fund. In December 1997, Governor Frank O’Bannon and several public- and private-sector leaders launched the Indiana Child Care Fund. Over $300,000 in private funds has been committed to address the statewide needs identified by the symposium teams.

Strive for equality between the public and private sectors. The symposium teams had equal representation from the public and private sectors from the beginning. Since the mission is to engage the private sector in improving the quality of child care, the private sector must have an early and active role in the partnership.

Build on local infrastructure. The county-based Step Ahead Councils provided an existing infrastructure for the symposium teams. Many states have similar local governance structures, and all states have cooperative extension services at the local level that can help in building the necessary infrastructure.

Do a few things well. Do not overextend the partnership. Concentrate on doing a few things well. Stay focused on overarching goals, instead of tackling everything at once.

Let businesses recruit other businesses. Peer recruitment is key to engaging businesses in effective partnerships. Cinergy's Symposium Corporate Mentors volunteered to convene meetings of employers in the rural areas that contain few large businesses. Businesses are more likely to become involved if their peers invite them.

Find a win-win situation for all partners. Utility companies, for example, are playing an important role in teams across the state. They have the incentive to become involved because they have so many employees throughout the state, and because they want to be visible at the community level, due to the impending deregulation of electricity.