As North Carolina slowly moves forward in reopening, it’s crucial that we provide our working parents with strong child care resources and statewide referral systems. The NC Child Care Resource and Referral Council (CCR&R) is working to do just that. In partnership with the North Carolina Division of Child Care Development and Early Education (NCDCDEE), the CCR&R delivers carefully vetted essential services and supports for employers and parents.
Educational and Referral Supports
CCR&R gives employers the information and resources needed to support families with child care and parenting issues, including:
- Educational materials and newsletter content for employers to use to communicate to employees
- Workplace seminars and consultations on parenting, child development and important child care topics (in-person or virtual)
- Enhanced referrals services for families looking for child care including counseling, customized referral lists, vacancy checks, screening assistance, and more
Accessibility Supports
We are facing a shortage of available and affordable child care options, and CCR&R can assist employers in building capacity for their employees and communities by:
- Helping employers reserve spots in select child care programs for their employees
- Supporting employers in implementing a discount program where the employer makes a regular financial contribution to select child care programs to provide employees with discounted tuition rates
Financial Aid Support
The high-cost of child care can be a big burden on families today. CCR&R can help employers address this financial strain on employees by supporting their efforts to offer a range of financial assistance through:
- Voucher programs where the employers can contract with child care facilities to provide employees with vouchers to cover all or part of their tuition costs
- Reimbursement programs where employees choose their own child care facility and receive a reimbursement from employers for some portion of tuition costs
- Scholarship programs where employees choose a child care facility and employers pay some portion of tuition costs directly to the facility
- An employer supported network of licensed family child care homes where employers “own” and fully fund the costs of a select number of seats across the facilities and employee children fill these seats at no/low cost
It’s important to note that as employers select child care programs, those facilities will need to meet minimum quality standards. They may also be required to participate in support services linked to continuous quality improvement.
The statewide CCR&R Council, led by Child Care Services Association (CCSA), Child Care Resources Inc. (CCRI), and Southwestern Child Development Commission (SWCDC), provides management and oversight of the state’s fourteen Regional Lead Agencies to ensure the delivery of high-quality CCR&R Core Services.