Making quality child care available and affordable for all families in need of care is a critical issue for government, employers, and families alike. Though federal funding for child care has increased from $500 million to $3 billion over the past decade, resource levels continue to lag behind the growing demand for early care and education in communities across the country. As highlighted in the October 1997 White House Conference on Child Care, public-private partnerships have become an important vehicle for drawing together the resources and know-how needed to expand the supply and improve the quality of care for America’s children.

Many states and communities have already established public-private partnerships to improve the quality, supply, and access to care for working families. To promote and nurture innovative practices and partnerships, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Child Care Bureau, established The Child Care Partnership Project (Contract No. 105-97-1604). This project provided information and technical assistance to state child care administrators in their work with businesses, philanthropic organizations, and other groups to build and sustain partnerships.

Child Care Partnership Project activities include:

Identifying and documenting existing practices for promoting public-private partnerships at both the state and community levels;

Developing a series of written technical assistance materials to guide the formation and implementation of successful public-private partnerships;

Conducting a conference on public-private partnerships that brings together state administrators and other potential partners; and

Providing periodic updates to state child care grantees about information collected and produced under this contract.