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Early Learning in Your Community

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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 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; conduct annual quantitative and qualitative reports to share information on the services offered and their impacts; 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.

Why is Early Learning Important in Your Community?

Community Leaders

Early care and education is a community-wide issue. Investments in early childhood education create sustainable, thriving communities. By bringing community leaders, organizations and businesses to the table, communities can create scalable, sustainable solutions that benefit them for years to come.

Here are some ways community leaders and organizations can get involved to advocate for affordable and accessible high-quality early care and education.

Understand your Community Needs

As Child Care Resource and Referral, we stay up-to-date on the landscape of childcare in our communities to provide local level data to assist leaders in assessing the needs of their community. Explore the data in your community.

Engage Local Stakeholders and Leaders

We strive to engage with community stakeholders and leaders to increase the awareness of the importance of quality child care and the inform leaders of the economic impact child care can have on their community.

Assist in the Development of Community Based Plans of Action

Our Community Engagement team is available to assist your community in assessing your needs and strategically planning for future growth of quality early learning opportunities to support families as well as providing economic growth and sustainability for your community.

Business Leaders

Support businesses in developing work-life policies and programs related to child care needs of employees. Our staff can consult with employers one-on-one to better understand how your company can support family-friendly benefits related to child care. work-life policies, and parent employee resource groups and activities.

Your employees can never truly turn off being a parent. If they are having trouble finding child care or struggling with a child with special needs or various other challenges, it can be difficult to focus on the job. We can help to support your families in finding child care or connect them with resources and education opportunities.