illinois child care assistance program collaboration guidebook

ILLINOIS CHILD CARE
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
COLLABORATION GUIDEBOOK
Revised 11/05
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
1
Approaches to Collaboration
2-3
Benefits of Collaboration
4
Working Together
5-7
Using the State of Illinois
Child Care Assistance Program
8-11
Conclusion
12
Collaboration Glossary
13-14
Attachments:
Attachment A…………….CCR&R Agency List
Attachment B…………….Map of IDHS Child Care
Collaboration Programs
ILLINOIS CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
COLLABORATION GUIDEBOOK
INTRODUCTION
Children and families in Illinois have many
early care and education needs and may be
FACTS:
getting only some of those needs met through
•
Child care is a necessity for all
their early childhood experience. The people
working parents.
who work in these programs would like to be
•
Because many low-income, working
able to provide more comprehensive support
parents change jobs often, young
for children and families but their ability to do
children are often moved from one
so is sometimes limited by funding. In many
child care setting to another.
cases it is difficult to enrich, expand, or
•
Consistent, quality child care is too
enhance their services to meet the needs of
often not available or not affordable.
The demands of life coupled with existing
their families. As low-income families face
social policies sometimes leave parents in a
increasing challenges, they also become
frustrated that programs cannot provide the
paradox as they search for consistent, quality
services they require.
care for their young children.
A growing number of early childhood
providers are seeking ways to partner with
others to serve the many needs of families. In
the State of Illinois, there are numerous
coordinated efforts to improve the linkages
between child care, pre-kindergarten, and
Head Start programs, as well as local linkages
among these programs and community health,
mental health, and social services.
QUESTION:
How can we as a community create a system
of early care and education that promotes
continuity, provides quality services, and is
affordable and accessible for families?
ANSWER:
We can plan and work together to develop
comprehensive early care and education
services that best meets the needs of the
families living in the community.
The purpose of this guidebook is to assist you
in collaborating with partners in planning and
developing ways to efficiently provide quality,
consistent early care and education services to
children and families. This guide can assist
you in:
G
Traditional and New Approaches
G
Recognizing the Benefits of
Partnerships
G
Working Together
G
Financing the Partnership
G
Overview of the Illinois Child Care
Assistance Program.
COLLABORATION GOALS:
•
To ensure that all children are safe
while their parents are working
and/or going to school/training.
•
To develop a system that promotes
quality, consistency, and efficiency
in early care and education for all
children and their families.
•
To prepare children to be “ready to
learn” when they enter school and,
as a result, be successful students.
TRADITIONAL APPROACHES:
-1-
unique because parents are given the
opportunity to design, govern, and make
decisions about the program that affects their
children and families.
The Child Care Assistance Program
(CCAP) is administered by the Illinois
Department of Human Services (IDHS)
Bureau of Child Care & Development. The
Bureau’s primary goals are to provide low
income families access to affordable, quality
early care and education while parents are
working or participating in an approved
education/training activity and ensuring that
children are cared for in a safe, healthy
environment that meets their developmental
needs. The Bureau funds the Child Care
Resource & Referral agencies and Site
Administered contracted providers to create a
delivery system in assisting families with their
child care needs.
E/HS in Illinois is funded by the federal
Administration for Children and Families,
Region V, that awards grants to community
agencies throughout the state.
For the most part, E/HS operates half day slots
in Illinois. Not only is E/HS not serving all of
the eligible children and families, but also in
Illinois, programs across the state have faced
rapid increases in the number of E/HS eligible
children who need full day, full year services.
Many programs lack the space, staff, and
financial resources to develop full day, full
year services. As a result, programs are
seeking ways to expand current hours and
days of service, while ensuring quality,
consistent early care and education for young
children.
Child care providers in Illinois normally offer
a full day of care that coincides with traditional
work hours. The delivery system is primarily
a fee-for-service system in which parents, as
consumers, purchase care for their children by
paying a portion of the fee and the state paying
the remaining balance. This fee is based on the
family income and what they can afford to pay
and not on the actual cost of providing care.
Illinois State Board of Education Early
Childhood Block Grant includes three
initiatives. The Pre-Kindergarten At Risk
Initiative is an educational program for
children ages 3-5 that also provides parents of
participating children with educational and
involvement opportunities. Pre-K At-Risk
programs serve children who, because of their
home and community environment, are subject
to such language, economic, and like
disadvantages that they are determined
through a screening process to be at risk of
academic failure. The screening component
determines a child’s eligibility and should be
conducted on a community wide basis in
cooperation with other similar programs
operating in the local school district. The
education component offers an appropriate
education program that includes parent
education & involvement activities, activities
which provide for student progress plans to be
shared with parents, and contains language
While many child care programs would like to
offer health and social services, most lack the
resources to do so. Limited family incomes
and state reimbursement rates make it difficult
to finance programs that provide enhanced
services with intense staff training and support.
Public child care funding streams generally are
created to help parents work. They are neither
funded nor designed to support comprehensive
services for children and families.
Early/Head Start (E/HS) is a national
comprehensive child & family development
program designed to help low-income children
birth to age five enter school ready to learn
and succeed. It provides education, health,
nutrition, parent involvement, and social
services as well as services to children with
special needs and their families. E/HS is
-2-
All of the early childhood partnerships have
overcome significant challenges in their efforts
to improve services for low-income children
and families. Programs have used their
partnerships as creative vehicles for positive
change. Many early care and education
providers contend with such issues as:
inadequate salaries and benefits, limited
resources for improving curriculum and
materials, reimbursement rates, insufficient
funds for constructing or improving facilities,
and more in their efforts to offer high quality
early childhood programs. These partnerships
also faced challenges such as tax issues and
differing funding policies in combining distinct
programs. Yet these partners have been able
to discover mutual benefits, establish trust, and
overcome the reluctance to share resources
and decision-making. Partners have also
shown that it is possible to coordinate
resources, satisfy the requirements associated
with multiple funding streams, and enhance the
quality of services for children and families.
& literacy development opportunities for each
child. The Parental Training Initiative is
designed for parents of children in the period
of life from birth to kindergarten enrollment
age, with special emphasis on single and
married parents who are expecting their first
child within three months, or who have no
children other than a child under three years
old. The program provides activities requiring
substantial participation of and interaction
between the parents and children. The
Prevention Initiative is aimed at creating a
partnership to support the development of
infants and children from birth to age three by
focusing on the child and family through a
network of child and family service providers,
offering coordinated services to at-risk infants,
toddlers, and their families. This initiative
provides case management services to
coordinate existing services available in the
community and develop an individual family
service plan.
COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES:
Ideally, funding levels and program policies
would allow all early care and education
programs serving low-income children to
enrich their services to meet the full range of
needs of the children and families they serve.
In the absence of such comprehensive policies,
many innovative partnerships are forging
ahead with program designs that offer a
combination of early childhood services.
These initiatives combine the strengths of each
partner and expand the reach and scope of the
services they can offer to children and families.
Collaborative partnerships include single-site
agencies, child care centers, family child care
providers, and multi-service agencies serving
one or more counties. They cover urban and
rural communities. While some of the
collaborations link the services of two or
more separate organizations, some combine
the programs offered within a single multiservice organization.
While the collaborative initiatives vary in
scope and design, they all enhance quality and
expand services to children and families, that
can include:
G
full day, full year care and education
that allow children to be safe and
involved in
a developmentally
appropriate environment while parents
are working and/or going to school;
G
family support services that help
families identify and use available
resources within their community;
G
health services that provide medical &
dental screenings and follow-up
services to ensure children’s healthy
development;
G
-3-
parent involvement services that
enhance parents’ ability to nurture and
support their children’s development
by encouraging them to more fully
participate in the program; and
G
a commitment to quality that ensures
that the programs’ services meet all
appropriate standards.
G
RECOGNIZING THE BENEFITS OF
COLLABORATION:
G
Access to Health and Family
Support Services. Children who
receive E/HS services through a
collaborative program would have
access to health, nutritional, dental,
G
G
G
G
G
mental health, disabilities and family
support services that they would not
otherwise receive.
Full Day, Full Year Early Care and
Education. By collaborating,
programs can provide full day, full
year early care and education to the
families that are working or enrolled in
training/school.
Continuity of Care. Programs can
ensure “best pr act ices” by
collaborating to provide services at a
single location instead of transporting
children from one site to another for a
full day of care. This provides
continuity of care for children, who
benefit greatly from a relationship with
a primary caregiver in a single setting.
Operating Programs in a CostEffective Manner and Maximizing
G
‘
‘
‘
-4-
the Use of the Facilities. By
collaborating, programs can avoid the
challenge of finding new space and
reduce start-up expenses.
Serving a Wider Range of Children.
Collaboration opens the door for
siblings to be enrolled at a single site
for working parents. This can include
children birth - school-age which may
improve the experience for some
children.
Quality
Improvement.
Collaborations are helping programs
improve their access to additional
resources. By combining resources,
programs are able to: improve
staff/child ratios, enhance staff/parent
training, increase staff professional
development, and purchase equipment
& supplies.
Ability to Serve Rural Areas.
Because transportation is sometimes
an issue in rural areas, programs can
partner at a single location and offer
multiple services.
This increases
services available to families in lowdensity areas, while reducing
transportation cost.
Ability to Offer More Options.
Blending services allows parents
several options to choose from and
promotes parent choice. Parents can
choose the early care environment that
best meets the needs of their child.
New/Unserved Communities - by
collaborating, programs have been able
to extend comprehensive services to
new communities and populations.
Ability to Provide Flexible Hours of
Services. Partnerships allow programs
to offer more flexible hours that fit
work and/or training schedule of the
parent(s).
Consistent Early Care & Education
families?”
“What is the reputation of the
prospective partner?”
“Is the prospective partner financially
stable?”
Systems Within the Community.
Collaborating with other programs in
the community promotes seamless
services for low-income families and
strengthens the local early childhood
system and resources.
If there are sufficient benefits to collaborating
to provide the services, a program should
develop criteria for identifying a partner.
Prospective partners should: 1) share a similar
mission and vision; 2) be an agency which is
“predisposed” to the cause; and, 3) be an
WORKING TOGETHER:
‚
Intra-Agency Work: Doing your
homework.
Prior to finding a
partner, a program should complete a
community needs assessment to
identify early care needs for and begin
planning accordingly. The agency also
needs to explore its “readiness” to be a
partner.
“How are we doing on our own?”
“Are services to families wellintegrated within our own agency?”
“How well are we connected with
other agencies offering services which
our families need?”
“Do we need to change?”
“What resource limitations do we face
in bringing more comprehensive
services to our families?”
“How might closer relationships with
other agencies help us improve
outcomes for the families we serve?”
“How ready are we to engage in
interagency partnerships?”
“Do the agencies serving children and
families in our neighborhood, our
school community, our city, our
county, have a common vision of what
they are trying to accomplish?”
“What is the history of cooperation
and collaboration in our
neighborhood, community,
city/county? What lessons can we
learn from past experience?”
“What are we willing to pay in terms
of tangible resources and loss of
unilateral control to formulate
common goals with other agencies
and to better serve our shared
agency which maintains a level of quality that
would not require substantial changes to meet
program performance standards. A program
must clarify its vision for a partner, goals for
the partnership relationship, and what each will
bring to the partnership.
‚
-5-
Finding A Partner. Once a program
knows what kind of p a r t n e r it is
seeking, it can reach out to potential
partners. This can be done in different
ways, such as call and set-up meeting
with agencies with whom you already
have a successful relationship or send
out a written notice in the form of a
letter or Request for Proposal (RFP).
Information given to potential partners
should include the plans for the
collaboration, an outline of the
characteristics sought in potential
partners, and initial goals for the
collaboration.
When choosing a partner,
organizations should:
•
develop criteria and a method
of evaluating suitability;
•
consider only compatible
partners.
‚
‚
evaluation tools and responsibilities;
and, specific legal issues. It is always
advised that agencies consult an
attorney and their Governing Board
when executing written contracts
and/or agreements.
Service Delivery. “Planning Ahead”
is the most frequently mentioned
recommendation from existing
collaborative partners. Both parties
must spend adequate time planning
together, making joint decisions and
addressing issues that require careful
consideration. Successful partners will
have open and clearly identified lines
of communication, share ideas, learn
each other’s program, clarify
expectations, involve prospective staff,
and coordinate/define objectives and
responsibilities.
Also, involve the
Illinois Department of Children and
F a mily S e r v i c e s L i c e ns ing
Representative during the planning
stage.
They can provide the
partnership with guidance and
technical assistance regarding licensing
standards/issues.
FINANCING THE PARTNERSHIP:
Two closely related issues involved in
financing a partnership are the parameters &
requirements of the funding streams and how
to share and account for financial resources.
Partners must ensure that they are sharing
resources in a manner that achieves the goals
of the collaboration and are providing
appropriate accountability for funders.
‚
Multiple Funding Streams. As
partnerships blend or braid funding
streams to provide services to children
& families, they will face many
c ha lle n g e s a n d c o n f l ic t ing
requirements. Each funding source
has its own set of eligibility and
reporting requirements that requires
programs to ensure that expenses are
allocated to the correct source.
Because some funding sources view
programs in terms of service hours and
slots, partnerships must translate their
services into terms that can be easily
understood by and meet the
requirements of all funding sources.
Partnerships also need to clarify terms
and definitions used by the funding
source, i.e., How many hours a day
constitutes a full day of service? How
many hours a day constitutes a half
day? How many months constitutes a
full program year?
Contracts and Agreements. When
combining the services of two or more
programs, there should be a written
agreement that describes the
parameters of the collaboration. It
should include: an outline of the
services to be provided; the
responsibility of each partner to each
service delivery area; the eligibility
criteria of the children and families to
be served; specific quality standards
requirements; financial and/or other
contributions that will be made by each
partner; specific information about
lines of authority for each element of
t he
c o l l a b o r a t io n ;
reporting/communication schedule &
method; program monitoring &
‚
-6-
Sharing and Accounting for
Financial Resources.
There are
many ways to share and account for
the cost of services provided by the
collaboration.
Programs must
determine how to divide the cost of
services between the budgets of each
partner.
A.
Blending or Braiding
Budgets requires the agency
and/or partners to put their
funds together and allocate
costs based on the particular
program components. This
allows all children to receive
the same services and requires
the administration to sort out
the finances for the funders.
B.
Shared Cost Based on
Eligibility requires programs
to allocate a cost per child
amount for services and
reimburse the partner that
amount for each child
receiving the services.
C.
Sharing Services, Not Money
gives each partner the
responsibility of providing a
part of the menu of services.
The total menu of services for
children and families is
coordinated between the
programs.
D.
Using Certificates allows
part day programs to extend
their services to full day by
assisting parents in obtaining a
CCAP Certificate to pay for
the child care part of the day
for working families.
E.
programs. Collaborations have
handled this issue by: charging
the parent fee based on the
child care part of the day or
u s i n g
o t h e r
funding/scholarships to offset
the parent fee amount.
Overview of the Child Care Assistance
Program and Collaboration
The IDHS Child Care Assistance Program
(CCAP) provides low-income families access
to quality, affordable child care that allows
them to work and contribute to the healthy
emotional and social development of the child.
CCAP combines state and federal dollars and
Parent Fees are paid by
parents in the CCAP. This fee
is on a sliding scale and is
based on the family income and
size. There are no parent fees
for E/HS and State PreK
-7-
assesses parent fees to serve all working
families whose incomes are below 50 percent
of the state median income. All families are
required to cost-share on a sliding scale based
on income, family size, and number of children
in care.
In addition to helping working
families, CCAP serves families who are
receiving TANF and participating in education
and/or training in accordance with their
Responsibility and Service Plan and teen
parents seeking a high school degree or its
equivalent. CCAP also serves a limited
number of families who work, do not receive
TANF and are pursuing additional education
to improve their job opportunities. Families
may access CCAP services in two ways:
department to find out if they are eligible and
request an application. The CCR&R referral
department can provide parents with a list of
providers with available CCAP slots so parents
can choose the child care provider who best
fits their individual needs. Families who use
the CCAP certificate system can choose
licensed or licensed-exempt child care centers,
family child care homes, group child care
homes or in-home/relative care. By request,
the CCR&R subsidy staff will provide
assistance on completing the application
process. See Attachment A for a list of statewide
CCR&R agencies.
Things To Think About in Collaborating
with the Child Care Assistance Program
Certificate System.
1.
Eligibility determination should be
made by the CCR&R program for
those who select the certificate
option.
2.
CCR&R will only process applications
for the number of eligible families for
which the program has available slots.
The local CCR&R subsidy unit does
not have the staff resources to process
child care applications for all children
in E/HS.
3.
If an E/HS program uses the certificate
system, all paperwork is sent to the
local CCR&R agency for processing.
Therefore, E/HS staff should work
closely with CCR&R subsidy staff
during this process.
To collaborate with a site-administered
contractor, contact the local child care
provider and explain that you would like to
collaborate to provide full day, full year early
care and education services for children who
are currently enrolled in a ½ day program, but
need full day due to parent(s) working or
going to school/training. Schedule a meeting
to discuss the details of how this collaboration
can work to meet the needs of children and
families. For example, while providing the
family support and health services using E/HS
Site-Administered Contractors are early
care and education programs located
throughout the state that have a contract with
the IDHS Bureau of Child Care &
Development. Currently, there are 91 child
care providers, serving 13,500 children. Child
care services are provided for children from six
(6) weeks to age thirteen (13).
Siteadministered contractors include both centerbased and family child care home networks
that are for-profit or nonprofit agencies.
These contractors are licensed facilities that
provide child care services for a specific
number of eligible children full-time, part-time,
before and after school. If a parent wishes to
apply for child care assistance and appears to
meet all the eligibility requirements, the siteadministered program will give them an
application and assist them in completing the
application process.
Child Care Certificates are vouchers that
approved families receive from their local
Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R)
agency to access child care services. There are
seventeen (17) Child Care Resource &
Referral agencies located throughout the
state. Child care is provided full-time, parttime, before and after school for children six
(6) weeks to age thirteen (13) years of age.
Parents should contact the CCR&R subsidy
-8-
1.
staff, E/HS programs can subcontract with
child care providers to provide full day, full
year services at their site and pay a “per diem”
rate for each child enrolled. Both early care
programs can support this collaboration by
braiding the E/HS and child care funding to
provide full day/full year services. The plan
would be based on the eligibility of the family,
the number of available slots and the ability of
the child care program to meet the Head Start
Program Performance Standards. Another
example is where E/HS and the child care
center share space and other resources, rather
than paying a “per diem” cost for services. In
a third scenario, the E/HS program could
assist the parent in identifying a CCAP
p r o vid er wit hin t heir ser vice
delivery/transportation area and transport the
child to and/or from the half-day program. All
of these arrangements require careful
planning and scheduling on the part of both
parties and need to take into account what the
parent decides is best for their child.
2.
3.
To collaborate with a CCR&R, contact the
local CCR&R subsidy coordinator and explain
that you are planning to serve children of
working parents full day, full year and would
like to schedule a meeting to discuss how the
certificate system could be used to fund the
collaboration services for those children
identified. If other programs have space to
expand slots to full day, full year and just need
additional funding, they can assist parents in
completing an application with the local
CCR&R subsidy department. The CCR&R
subsidy department is responsible for
processing the child care application for the
subsidy certificate.
E/HS programs can
provide the services and submit reports to the
CCR&R for payment. This method allows
children to stay at the E/HS site throughout
the day.
The application must be completed
correctly in order to determine
eligibility.
Do not send anything to IDHS Bureau
of Child Care & Development in
Springfield. The site-administered
contractors and the CCR&R subsidy
units will process the eligibility
information/application.
The final determination for eligibility
will be made by IDHS Bureau of Child
Care & Development.
I D
HS
Ch
ild
Ca
r e
Ass
ista
nce Program
Definitions:
It is imperative that programs
collaborating with the CCAP system
understand the following:
“Family” means the applicant, his/her spouse,
and the biological, adoptive, or stepchildren of
-9-
the applicant or his/her spouse under the age
of 21 living in the same household.
<
“Applicant” means parent for or recipients of
child care assistance.
“Family Size” is determined by identifying
only those people who fit into the definition of
family stated above.
<
<
Eligibility:
T o
b e
eligible for
child care,
the family MUST reside in Illinois and be
BOTH income eligible and service eligible.
included on the Responsibility and
Services Plan.
Education & Training for Non-TANF
Families: Families who do not receive
TANF cash grants and are
participating in below secondary
education,
non-degree
occupational/vocational training
programs, and 2- and 4-year college
degree programs are eligible for child
care assistance provided funds are
available.
Teen Parents: A parent who is under
20 years old and is enrolled in high
school or a GED program is eligible
for child care assistance as a “teen
parent.”
Employment & Education Training:
Only the child care necessary for the
parent(s) to work and/or participate in
the education/training will be
approved.
Income Eligibility:
To be eligible for child care, a family must
meet the income guidelines for their particular
family size. The family income includes the
income from all family members age 18 and
older.
Income Categories
Effective July 1, 2005
Family Size
Monthly Income
2
$2,051
3
$2,533
4
$3,016
5
$3,498
6
$3,981
7
$4,071
8
$4,162
Service Eligibility:
In order to be “service eligible” for child care
assistance, a family MUST be involved in one
of the following activities:
<
Employment: Only the child care
necessary for the parents to work will
be approved.
<
Education and Training for TANF
Families: The education/training
program must be approved by the
family’s TANF caseworker and
Billing Process through the SiteAdministered Contractor: Once the siteadministered provider receives the completed
application, they will send the information to
-10-
IDHS Child Care & Development Bureau for
approval. Once the family is approved the
provider will receive a Monthly Enrollment
Report for the child(ren) in the family. The
site-administered provider will complete this
form and submit to IDHS for payment each
month.
T
T
Billing Process through the CCR&R.
Once application(s) are successfully submitted
to the local CCR&R subsidy unit for
processing, the program will receive a
computerized list of the children who are
approved for CCAP at the site. It is the
programs
responsibility to check for
accuracy/make corrections/complete days of
attendance and submit to the local CCR&R for
payment processing.
Shared Cases. If a family has more than one
provider, only one provider shall assess and
collect the co-payment. If all providers are
paid through the CCR&R, the CCR&R shall
designate the provider receiving the greatest
reimbursement from IDHS as the one to
receive the family co-payment. The provider
not collecting a co-payment will be reimbursed
the full amount of the child care charges.
4 .
A
cop
y of
you
r calculations of monthly and annual income
for eligibility determination and co-pay
assessment. This could be the Copayment
Worksheet.
CCAP Case File Information:
Each case file must include the following:
1.
The original child care application.
2.
3.
and Services Plan, etc., if
applicable.
Let t ers from certified
pro fessio nal suppo rt ing
medical co ndit io ns, if
applicable.
Bus or train schedules
supporting travel time if one
way exceeds 1 hour.
The original of any and all subsequent
redetermination forms.
Copies of all required documentation:
T
Two pay stubs per eligibility
period.
T
I nco me
ver ificat io n
letters/forms for new jobs or
cash employment; and/or self
employment documentation.
T
Class schedules or letters
confirming enrollment, if
applicable.
T
A copy of the Responsibility
5.
Case note notations made on each
eligibility relevant conversation with
parent(s).
6.
Copies of all Approval, Denial and
Cancellation letters for each case.
7.
Copies of any correspondence on this
case from parent, IDHS, CCR&R, etc.
CONCLUSION:
Tips For Successful Collaboration
1.
Early/Head Start & State PreK families
-11-
are often unfamiliar with parent fees and must
be provided information and education on copayments.
2.
Child Care, Head Start, State PreK
and CCR&R agencies that are
collaborating to serve children and
families should develop working
relationships, have clear & open lines
of communication, share training and
professional development calendars,
and increase knowledge of the others’
programs and policies. This can be
done by scheduling joint meetings and
by sharing newsletters, informational
publications, and program reports.
3.
All partners must become familiar and
knowledgeable about the language,
policies, and standards used in the
respective programs.
4.
Realize that in order to serve children
and families, all parties must be willing
to “conquer the barriers.”
5.
Collaboration is not a quick fix for
many of the vexing problems a
program faces. It will not build
affordable housing, end poverty, or
stop the tragedy of abuse and neglect.
6.
Collaboration is a means to an end in
itself. Programs must ask what issues
the collaboration is designed to solve
prior to proposing collaboration as the
means to solve them.
7.
Developing interagency collaboration
w ill n o t cr eat e r eso ur ces .
Collaboration is not always the best
investment of resources; depending on
local needs and circumstances, some
services may be better provided
without multiple agency involvement.
8.
Collaboration occurs among people,
not among institutions. Workers must
be supported at each level of the
organization where collaboration is
expected to take place. Interagency
agreements–important institutional
mechanisms to clarify, formalize, and
spell out relationships and avoid
9.
10.
misunder st andings amo ng
agencies–must be structured to
support interactions at all levels.
Creative problem-solving skills must
be developed and nurtured in those
expected to collaborate. If workers
are expected to share responsibility,
they must be provided with support
and guidance to assure that this
autonomy is wisely employed.
Collaboration is too important a
concept to be trivialized. If the very
real needs of children and families are
to be met, service providers must find
ways to meet these needs more
comprehensively and more holistically.
Ultimately, this will require more
careful, considered, and extensive
collaboration.
As of this printing there are more 50
successful Child Care Collaboration Programs
in the state that are approved collaboration
sites and benefit from three CCAP policy
changes: 1) annual redetermination, 2) 90 day
job loss grace period, and 3) indefinite early
care services as long as it is part of the Family
TANF Responsibility and Services Plan.
These programs are blending services at one
location and braiding two or more funding
resources from the three early care systems to
develop collaborative partnerships in serving
children full day, full year whose parents are
working and/or participating in approved
school/training activities. Attachment B is a
map of the approved collaboration site
locations across the state, as of May 2004.
More collaborations are being approved every
month.
-12-
COLLABORATION GLOSSARY
Continuity: Support for children and families to
ensure that experiences and expectations in one
setting are connected to and meaningful in new
settings. Settings include homes, child care centers,
Head Start, state Pre-K, family child care, and other
places that offer early care and education services.
Agreement: A written contract between two
agencies for the conduct of all or part of program
services.
Applicant: The parent or other primary adult
caretaker(s) who is responsible for the child(ren)
when parents(s) is not available due to special
circumstances.
DCFS: Illinois Department of Children and Family
Services.
Delegate Agency: A public or private nonprofit
organization or agency to which an E/HS grantee
has delegated by contract the carrying out of all or
part of its Head Start program.
Assessment: Observation, research, and other
ways of learning about current situation,
environment, or status of performance.
CCAP: Child Care Assistance Program.
CCAP Family: The applicant, his or her spouse,
and the biological, adoptive, or stepchildren of the
applicant or his or her spouse under the age of 21
living in the same household. The applicant may
include in his / her family size, other persons related
by blood or law to the applicant or his or her spouse
living in the same household if they are dependent
upon the family for more than 50% of their support.
The applicant may include in his/her family a child
of the applicant or his/ her spouse under the age of
21 who is dependent upon the family for more than
50% of his/her support and who is a full-time
student away at school, provided he/she has not
established legal residence outside the family
residence.
CCR&R: Child Care Resource and Referral
Certificate: Refers to the portion of the IDHS
Child Care Assistance Program managed by the
CCR&R agencies. The CCR&R determines
eligibility and makes arrangements with providers.
Collaboration: A process by which agencies
formally commit themselves on a long-term basis
to work together to accomplish a common mission.
This partnership necessitates a sharing of
resources, power, and authority. It also requires
organizations to blend their strengths as well as
negotiate their differences with an underlying
attitude of trust.
CCAP Parents: The phrase “parents or other
relatives” refers to applicants or recipients of child
care services. They include:
a) Parent-biological, adoptive or adjudicated
through the Court System, stepparent, legal
guardian; b) Relatives- natural or adopted brothers,
sisters, aunts, uncles, step-siblings, grandparents,
nephews, and nieces within the fifth degree of
kinship.
Community: A neighborhood, county, city,
catchment area, school attendance area, or other
formal service district.
Community Assessment: Gathering information
about a community’s needs, resources, and
preferences to guide decision making. Most
effective when it is an ongoing process that
provides a way for the community to learn about
and connect people with resources.
Early Care & Education: Services that nurture
the development, learning, and well-being of young
children and their families. Early care and
education programs include Head Start, child care
centers, family child care homes, and private and
public preschool programs.
Comprehensive Services: Services that are
family-centered and include child development &
education, health, family support and promote
self-sufficiency of families.
Early/Head Start Family: All persons living in the
-13-
same household who are supported by the income
of the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child enrolling
or participating in the program, and related to the
child by blood, marriage, or adoption.
eligible” when the combined gross annual income of
all family members is at or below the income
guidelines.
Infant: A child whose age is less than fifteen (15)
months.
Early/Head Start Parents: Related to the child
enrolling or participating in the program as parents
or guardians, by blood, marriage, or adoption.
ISBE: Illinois State Board of Education
Early/Head Start Program: A program that is
funded under the Head Start Act and carried out by
a Early/Head Start grantee or delegate agency,
which provides ongoing comprehensive child
development services.
Part-Time Child Care Rate: Refers to the rate for
enrollment and/or attendance that is less then five
(5) hours each day.
Pre-K At-Risk: A programs that provides services
for children who because of their home and
community environment are determined to be at-risk
of academic failure.
Full Day: Child Care = 5 or more hours a day;
E/HS = usually 6 hours a day; and PreK = school
day/6 or more hours a day.
Preschool Child: A child whose age is three (3) to
six (6) years. This term does not include children
enrolled in Kindergarten and First Grade.
Full-Time Child Care Rate: Refers to the rate for
enrollment and/or attendance that is five (5) or
more hours each day.
Site Administered Child Care: Refers to the
portion of the IDHS Child Care Assistance Program
managed by child care centers and/or family child
care networks. These providers determine eligibility
and bill IDHS directly for services.
FY: Refers to the Fiscal Year. Note that the State
fiscal year is July 1-June 30. Each Head Start
program’s fiscal year varies:
The federal
government’s fiscal year is Oct. 1-Sept. 30.
Grace Period: The temporary periods of time
when, in occasional situations, a CCAP parent may
need continued child care services but is not
working or in school.
Teen Parent: A custodial parent whose age is
between thirteen (13) and nineteen (19) years and
who is enrolled in high school or a GED program.
Toddler: A child whose age is fifteen (15) months
to two (2) years.
Grantee Agency: A local public or private
nonprofit agency designated to operate a
Early/Head Start program; receives its funding
directly from the federal government.
Transportation Time: The time it takes a parent to
travel between the child care provider and their
employer or training program.
HSPPS: Head Start Program Performance
Standards.
IDHS: Illinois Department of Human Services.
Income Eligible: A family is considered “income
-14-
INCCRRA Membership Roster
Revised 8-26-05
SDA
VII
PROGRAM NAME
Community Child Care Resource &
Referral Center
A Unit of East Central TRAIN
ADDRESS
500 E 59th St
Davenport, IA 52807
REF
SUB
NUMBERS
563/324-1302
800/369-3778
563/324-7844
800/923-7844
CONTACT PERSON
Mary Jo Huddleston
mjhuddleston@iowatrain.org
ADM 563/324-1302
FAX 563/324-7736
EXT
402
COUNTIES: Henderson, Henry, McDonough,
Mercer, Knox, Rock Island, Warren
VIII
Child Care Connection
Illinois Central College
Site Address: 5407 North University
Peoria, IL 61614
COUNTIES: Bureau, Fulton, LaSalle, Peoria,
Marshall, Putnam, Stark, Tazwell, Woodford
IX
Child Care Resource & Referral Network
COUNTIES: DeWitt, Ford, Livingston, Mclean
Mailing Address:
One College Drive
E. Peoria, IL 61635-0001
cccsubsidy@icc.edu
cccreferral@icc.edu
ccctrain@icc.edu
REF
309/690-7300
800/421-4371
SUB
309/690-7300
800/301-3304
ccc-ccap@icc.edu (CCAP)
Jan Deissler
jdeissler@icc.edu
ADM 309/690-7322
FAX 309/690-7320
207 W. Jefferson
Suite 301
Bloomington, IL 61701
REF
309/828-1892
800/437-8256
309/828-1892
800/437-8256
info@ccrrn.com
ccrrn@fgi.net
Pam Womack
pam@ccrrn.com
ADM 309/828-1892
FAX 309/828-0526
217/333-3252
800/325-5516
217/333-2147
217/244-9666
Judy Hartley
hartley1@uiuc.edu
ADM 217/244-7356
Dr. Angela Wiley
awiley@uiuc.edu
ADM 217/333-3184
Jayne Ozier
cfsjo@eiu.edu
ADM 217/581-2124
FAX 217/581-7084
Jackie Swango
csjs@eiu.edu
217/581-6991
SUB
E-mail
X
Child Care Resource Service
University of Illinois
314 Bevier Hall
905 S. Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
REF
Eastern Illinois University
School of Family &
Consumer Sciences
Klehm Hall
600 Lincoln Ave
Charleston, IL 61920
REF
510 Maine Street
Room 610
Quincy, IL 62301
REF
COUNTIES: Champaign, Douglas, Iroquois,
Macon, Piatt, Vermillion
XI
Child Care Resource & Referral
Eastern Illinois University
COUNTIES: Coles, Clark, Cumberland, Edgar,
Moultrie, Shelby
XII
West Central Child Care Connection
COUNTIES: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass,
Greene, Hancock, Jersey, Pike, Schuyler
XIII
Community Child Care Connection, Inc.
COUNTIES: Christian, Logan, Macoupin, Scott,
Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan,
Sangamon
XIV
Children's Home & Aid
Resource & Referral Program
FAX
TTY
PROV
SUB
SUB
1004 N Milton Avenue
Springfield, IL 62702-4430
SUB
E-MAIL cccc@childcaresolutions.org
GEN
FAX
2133 Johnson Rd
Suite 100A
Granite City, IL 62040
REF
PROV
SUB
217/581-6698
800/545-7439
800/545-7439
217-581-7081
800-643-1026
217/222-2550 or
800/782-7318
217/222-2550
Karen Points
kpoints@wcccc.com
ADM 217/222-2550
FAX 217/222-3133
217/525-2805 TTY
Springfield
800/676-2805 TTY
Elsewhere
217/525-2894 FAX
Nancy Cunningham
8132
ncunningham@childcaresolutions.org
ADM 217/525-2805
FAX 217/525-5859
Jon Van Winkle, Assoc. Dir.
8228*
jvanwinkle@childcaresolutions.org
Bev Pierce, Sub. Manager
8321
bpierce@childcaresolutions.org
217-525-5859
800/467-9200
800/467-9200
800/847-6770
COUNTIES: Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe,
Randolph, St. Clair, Washington
XV
Project CHILD: Child Care
Resource & Referral
327 Potomac Boulevard
P.O. Box 827
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864
REF
800/362-7257
PROV 618/244-2210
prochild@rlc.edu
John A. Logan College
700 Logan College Road
Carterville, IL 62918
REF
SUB
ADM
COUNTIES: Clay, Crawford, Edwards, Jasper,
Effingham, Fayette, Jefferson, Lawrence, Wayne,
Marion, Richland, Wabash
XVI
Child Care Resource & Referral
COUNTIES: Alexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Perry,
Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac,
Pulaski, Pope, Saline, Union, White, Williamson
S:\PhoneSystem\CCR_R_Roster_List_2.10.05.xls
16
800/232-0908
800/548-5563
618/985-5975
Kim Hunt, Director
khunt@sw.chasi.org
ADM 618/452-8900
FAX 618/452-9136
Rose Anderson-Rice
rrice@sw.chasi.org
Suzi Essenpries, Sub. Mgr.
sessenpr@subsidy.chasi.org
Tranae Brockhouse
tranae@rlc.edu
ADM 618/244-2210
FAX 618/244-5209
Lori Longueville
lorilongueville@jalc.edu
Direct line 618/985-5975
Mary Ellen Abell
ADM 618/985-2828
FAX 618/985-3528
123
134
160
103
241
8217
11/4/05
Two Rivers HS Agency/Batavia (204)
Circles of Learning/Rockford (120)
TCOC Head Start/Rock Falls (35)
Open Sesame CC Center/Dixon (24)
((24)(24)
Project NOW, Inc.-It’s A Child’s World
(34) & Silvis Day Care (10)
Aldridge ELC/E. Moline (60)
Skip-A-Long/Moline (120)
Leaps & Bounds/Princeville (18)
Rogy’s-Small Wonders/Peoria (187)
WCCS/Monmouth (40)
Tazewell-Woodford HS/E. Peoria (112)
PACT/Mt. Sterling (32)
Springfield Urban League (180)
Little Angels/Springfield (17)
Care-O-Sel/Virden (30)
Children’s Garden/Carlinville (40)
Riverbend HS & Family Services/Alton (75)
Alton Day Care & Learning Center/Alton (30)
Discovery/O’Fallon (17)
Toddle Town/Belleville (40)
WEEOC/Steeleville (78)
Lighthouse Learning Center/Columbia (40)
SIUC Head Start/Carbondale (36)
Eurma Hayes/Carbondale (18)
IDHS Child Care Collaboration Program. Approved Agencies.11.02.05
Lifelink Head Start/Bensenville (33) & YWCA Addison (40)
Lake Co. Y/EHS/Waukegan (68)
Kids Hope United: Waukegan (40)/Chicago (102)/Elgin (100)
YSB of IL/Ottawa (22)
Lasting Impressions/Kankakee (17)
Future Scholars Child Care (29) CEDA (96)
CHASI (180)
Evanston School Dist. (34)
Love Learning Center (25)
YMCA of Harvey (33)
Infant Welfare Society (58)
Chicago City Colleges (130)
Kidwatch Plus (66)
The Children’s Center (128)
PLCCA, Inc. (60)
YWCA Metro Chicago (220)
Mary Crane Center (20)
Casa Centrál (194)
Improved Child Care Mgt. (50) Ezzard Charles (40)
Irving Park Learning Center (26) Jolly Fun House (40)
Mother’s Touch Day Care (60) Kangaroo Korner (38)
Happy Holiday (25)
Home DC Program (24)
Ounce of Prevention (120)
CC Ctr. Evanston (33)
Chicago CYS (8,037)
JFH Academy, Inc. (30)
Hobby Horse/Lake Shore (105)
Catholic Charities/Joliet (265)
Step by Step/Diamond (20)
East Central IL CAA/Danville (73)
Heartland Head Start/Bloomington (120)
Champaign Reg. Plng. Comm. (99)
Decatur Macon Co. OC (34)
Wee Folks/Decatur (40)
Kid’s Kingdom/Oblong (40)
Little Angels Day Care/Flora (10)
Kiddie Kollege/Fairfield (66)
FWHSI Early Head Start/W. Frankfort (28)
Wabash Area Development, Inc./Enfield (67)
John A. Logan Preschool/Carterville (34)
Malone’s Early Learning Center/Carterville (57)
Rainbow Day Care/Eldorado(10)
Just for Kids/Eldorado (16)
Small World CDC/Marion (40)
Southern 7 Health Department/Ullin (67)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor
Carol L. Adams, Ph.D., Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)
Marva Arnold, Director, IDHS Division of Human Capital Development
Linda Saterfield, Chief, IDHS Bureau of Child Care & Development
The IDHS Head Start State Collaboration Office produced this guidebook as part of the
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families
federal grant. Copies can be ordered by contacting dhsd60a2@dhs.state.il.us.