Child Care Resource and Referral
Indiana’s Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) network is a trusted and knowledgeable resource for families, providers and community leaders that helps connect them to early care and education services, support and information. CCR&R agencies provide local family outreach and support; engage with key audiences to advance early childhood education quality, access and affordability; and monitor for local changes, conversations and happenings related to early childhood education. Chances And Services for Youth CCR&R agency serves 24 counties across Central Indiana: Bartholomew, Brown, Clay, Delaware, Fayette, Greene, Hancock, Henry, Johnson, Madison, Montgomery, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Sullivan, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, and Wayne Counties. For help finding CCR&R agencies in other counties not listed above, please click here.
Child Care Resource and Referral
Key Service Areas:
CCR&Rs work closely with all families who have young children in Indiana, including vulnerable family populations, to provide high-quality early care and education, as well as out-of-school program, referrals and conduct a number of outreach activities to reach more families.
CCR&Rs help connect their communities’ early care and education programs to information, training and technical assistance opportunities; help recruit new programs to their communities; work to increase the number of program members in professional organizations; and promote professional development opportunities, such as cohorts and work with emerging providers, that help to increase the quality of care and education.
Public Awareness and Engagement
CCR&Rs build awareness of their services and the importance of early childhood education within the communities they serve and develop partnerships with coalitions and task forces to ensure the needs of families and early childhood programs are considered in planning efforts. They also provide training for community agencies and organizations.
Data Collection and Assessment
CCR&R agencies design methods to assess the needs of their communities; use state and federal statistics; develop plans for their communities based on the needs and data; and conduct annual quantitative and qualitative reports to share information on the services offered and their impacts.
Who We Serve:
In most Indiana communities, demand for early care and education far outweighs the supply. Four out of 10 Hoosier children live in a child care desert, where there is only one early learning seat, or less, for every three children. Only 25% of known early childhood education programs qualify as high quality. To help connect families to available high-quality care and expand early care and education opportunities, CCR&R agencies work with the following audiences.
Families with young children in Indiana, including those in vulnerable situations
Early learning programs and educators, including prospective and emerging programs
Community organizations, employers and local policymakers and public officials
We work to strengthen Indiana’s local early care and education infrastructure by connecting families to quality care, supporting providers, building capacity and engaging community leaders as advocates for high-quality, affordable early care and education.
Interested in Becoming a Provider?
In Indiana, you can provide quality care through a number of different avenues. Our Orientation I course will introduce you to those different types of care and will help you determine if you’re ready for the responsibilities of running a child care. The course provides the information you need to get on the right path for you and the children you plan to serve. This includes:
- Health and safety information
- The basics of building a child care business
- Resources to help you make the decision of which type of care you would like to provide
Completion of Orientation I is required for those planning to open a licensed home or center in Indiana. It is strongly encouraged, although not required, for those opening an unlicensed registered ministry.
For more information about your next steps, contact Kristi at 812-231-8902 or visit the Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning website.
