CCW Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies




	Below you will find links to organizations that provide child care resources. The following organizations focus on strengthening the quality of child care for all children, and provide referral services for families seeking child care programs. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is responsible for Federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. ACF oversees and finances a broad range of activities in partnership with state, local and tribal governmental agencies. Child Care Bureau The Child Care Bureau is dedicated to enhancing the quality, affordability, and availability of child care for all families. The Child Care Bureau administers federal funds to states, territories, and tribes to assist low-income families in accessing quality child care for children when the parents work or participate in education or training. Programs Looking for general information about Federal programs serving children and families? On this page you will find links to information on the programs overseen by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Fact Sheets Information on ACF program activities. Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) administers the major Federal programs that support social services that promote the positive growth and development of children and youth and their families; protective services and shelter for children and youth in at-risk situations; child care for working families and families on public assistance; and adoption for children with special needs. Afterschool.gov Finding Child Care Community links to help you find child care for your child. Child & Family Canada Welcome to Child & Family Canada, a unique Canadian public education website. Child Care Connections ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Childhood Development National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) A national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services. Family Support America Family Support America, formerly Family Resource Coalition of America, promotes family support as the nationally recognized movement to strengthen and support families and places the principles of family support practice at the heart of every setting in which children and families are present. Child Care Child care programs…program models. Head Start Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs that serve children from birth to age 5, pregnant women, and their families. They are child-focused programs and have the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. Early Head Start National Resource Center The Early Head Start National Resource Center, operated by ZERO TO THREE in collaboration with WestEd, is responsible for coordinating the provision of and training and technical assistance to the more than 400 Early Head Start Programs across the country. Resource Center staff work in concert with several regionally-based organizations to offer assistance in a variety of areas, including: child development, family development, community building, staff development, program administration and management. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Early Years Are Learning Years: Make Them Count! A series of one-page, focused articles on topics that help parents and early childhood professionals make the critical early years the best that they can be for all children. Children’s Champions The National Association for the Education of Young Children promotes national, state and local public policies that support a system of well-financed, high quality early childhood education programs in a range of settings, including child care centers, family child care homes, and schools. Resources for Parents NAEYC provides resources and information for parents as guidance for choosing the best possible care and education for their children. Resources in Spanish For easy access to NAEYC resources in Spanish... Young Children International NAEYC introduces this section on our web site as a way to use technology to encourage information exchange and networking with and among our international colleagues. National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) Child Care Aware Initiative Child Care Aware is a non-profit initiative committed to helping parents find the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community. Action for Children Today (ACT) Action for Children Today (ACT), an AmeriCorps National Direct program, builds community stability by improving the quality and availability of infant/toddler, preschool, and school-age child care. Quality child care ensures that children are ready to learn, helps parents work, and promotes safe and healthy neighborhoods. C.H.I.L.D. Partnerships Project The C.H.I.L.D. Project, a Maternal & Child Health Bureau CISS grant, builds strong systems within the state CCR&R networks to foster collaboration between health and child care professionals. NACCRRAware State-of-the-Art Software— is modern, Internet-based resource and referral software developed by the NACCRRA and CCR&R field. NACCRRAware greatly simplifies data collection, referral, reporting, sharing and analysis. Policy Symposium Annual Policy Symposium North Carolina Smart Start Smart Start is North Carolina's nationally recognized and award-winning early childhood initiative designed to ensure that young children enter school healthy and ready to succeed. To achieve their goal, local county Smart Start partnerships have focused both their attention and funds on three major areas of service implementation: child care, family support programs, and health services. For Parents For Professionals The Smart Start Evaluation Team—of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center The Smart Start Evaluation Team at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducts the statewide evaluation of North Carolina's Smart Start Initiative. This project employs a multi-disciplinary team of specialists and researchers. National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) A national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services. Part of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Childhood Development (ERIC/EECE) State Child Care Home Pages State directory for child care in the United States. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Reading Research at the NICHD Contains reading research resources: a report of the National Reading Panel, and Child Development and Behavior Branch reading research resources. Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDB) The Child Development and Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, supports research on psychological, psychobiological, and educational development from conception to maturity. The branch focuses on the following program areas: Human Learning and Learning Disabilities This program has a special interest in developing and supporting research and training initiatives to increase knowledge relevant to normal and atypical development of reading, written language, and mathematics abilities throughout the life span and the development of prevention, remediation, and instructional approaches and methods to ensure robust development of reading, written language and mathematics skills at different stages of development. Language, Bilingual and Biliteracy Development and Disorders This research program has a special interest in research to increase knowledge of language development and disorders, second language acquisition, and written language development and disorders in bilingual/multilingual children. The program also supports training in the study of these areas. Early Learning And School Readiness This program supports research that will specify the experiences children need from birth to age eight to prepare them to learn, read, and succeed in school. In addition, the program seeks to identify early interactions with adults and peers, the early childhood education teaching methods and curricula, and comprehensive early childhood interventions that support learning and development, specifically in domains that prepare children from diverse backgrounds for kindergarten and the early grades. National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education The Early Childhood Research Working Group A group of representatives from approximately 30 Federal agencies that support research, data collection, and services for young children and their families. National Center for Early Development and Learning A national early childhood research project sponsored by the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement. NCEDL focuses on enhancing the cognitive, social, & emotional development of children from birth through age eight. Sponsored Projects Program Targeted research efforts of immediate need that cut across the interests of one or more Institutes within the U.S. Department of Education or other Federal agencies. National Network for Child Care (NNCC) NNCC unites the expertise of many of the nation's leading universities through the outreach system of Cooperative Extension. Our goal is to share knowledge about children and child care from the vast resources of the land grant universities with parents, professionals, practitioners, and the general public. We network with committed individuals around the country to bring you practical information and resources that will be useful to you in your everyday work with children. kidcare An e-mail listserve - providing a way to communicate nationally and internationally with others who care about children and child care. Connections Newsletter National Network for Child Care publishes three newsletter series, issued four times a year, for family child care, center-based care, and school-age child care. YMCA Child Care YMCAs are dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable child care. As the nation's largest provider of child care programs, YMCAs provide family-centered, values-based programs to nurture children's healthy development. Zero to Three BrainWonders Special site about how the brain develops, within the context of relationships, from conception through three years of age. Special sections developed especially for parents, caregivers, and pediatric and family clinicians.