New York State Awards $21 Million To Non-Profit Child Care Referral Agencies

August 22, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced that the state has granted more than $21 million to not-for-profit child care referral agencies across the state that help parents find child care services for their children, and an additional $1.1 million to agencies that advise providers on how to best care for the special needs of infants and toddlers. The funds will expand services that help parents access quality child care.

“Expanding services that help parents access quality child care is a critical component of my children’s agenda,” said Governor Spitzer. “In addition to supporting early childhood development, this assistance helps working parents be secure in the knowledge that their children will be well cared for by responsible and professional child care providers. These grants provide the vital financial support necessary to advance these important goals.”

Commissioner of the Office of Children and Family Services, Gladys Carrión, said: “Choosing appropriate child care is a very important decision for any family to make. Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies supply vital child care services to parents, providers, employers, and communities across New York State and remain the hub of child care services for all children and families throughout New York State.”

The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) will issue $21 million in grants to local Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&R). These organizations provide an array of services to parents and child care providers, including:

* Referring parents to child care providers and programs;
* Distributing information to parents, child care providers, and community members on the components of quality child care;
* Offering technical assistance such as curriculum and program training to child care providers; and
* Providing for the monitoring and oversight of legally-exempt child care providers where care is being paid for with public dollars.

Since 1991, New York State has funded a network of CCR&R services in every county across New York State. To ensure that this network continues to be responsive to the current and emerging needs of New York’s working families as well as of the child care provider community, a competitive bid process was implemented this year to award these services on a county-by-county basis. The grants announced today were awarded based on the results of this competitive bid process, and 31 agencies have been designated as the CCR&R for 57 counties. A list of the agencies receiving funding is attached. In the remaining five counties, OCFS is continuing to evaluate the most appropriate mechanism for providing these services and will be issuing another request for potential bidders.

OCFS also today announced a new policy with regard to CCR&Rs, allowing legally exempt child care providers into the network of referrals available to parents. These providers, usually friends or neighbors, provide care for one or two children, usually in the provider’s home.

To help parents with child care selection, OCFS produced the “As you think about child care...” parent education materials that feature a general information brochure and three checklists designed to help parents and other caregivers better understand what to look for when selecting safe, quality child care. This information is provided by the various CCR&Rs across the state, and is also available by calling 1-800-345-KIDS or by visiting www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/publications.

In addition to the CCR&R awards, OCFS also awarded seven grants totaling $1.1 million for its Infants and Toddlers initiative. The funding will support:

* The development of best practices for child care providers in serving infant and toddlers;
* Promoting and facilitating child care staffing to obtain specialized training in caring for infants and toddlers, including the Infant Toddler Certificate; and
* Making available infant and toddler information on best practices in various mediums to the child care provider community.

The Governor’s recently announced Children’s Agenda is a comprehensive strategy to ensure that all of New York's children are given an equal opportunity for success. The Governor established a Children's Cabinet, an ongoing task force of high-level state officials to advance programs and policies to benefit children. The Children's Cabinet priorities include helping to ensure the successful implementation of the Governor's plan for providing health insurance coverage for currently uninsured children and offering high-quality pre-kindergarten programs to young children.

For more information about CCR&R agencies, the OCFS day care facility search engine, and other resources to help parents find safe, affordable child care, visit the OCFS website at www.ocfs.state.ny.us, or call 1-800-345-KIDS.

Child Care Resource and Referral Agency Awardees:

Albany County
Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council $406,748
5-year contract to serve Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties

Allegany County
ACCORD Corporation $128,781
1-year contract for service continuity to serve Allegany, Cattaraugus and Wyoming counties

Bronx County
Day Care Council of New York $2,063,600
5-year contract to serve Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Queens and Richmond counties

Broome County
Family Enrichment Network $283,421
5-year contract to serve Broome and Tioga counties

Cattaraugus County
ACCORD Corporation $135,727
1-year contract for service continuity to serve Cattaraugus, Allegany and Wyoming counties

Cayuga County
Child Care Council of the Finger Lakes $140,425
5-year contract to serve Cayuga and Seneca counties

Chautauqua County
Chautauqua Opportunities $289,865
5-year contract to serve Chautauqua County

Chemung County
Chemung County Care Council $181,644
5-year contract to serve Chemung County

Chenango County
Chenango County Child Care Coordinating Council $110,686
5-year contract to serve Chenango County

Clinton County
Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country $184,477
5-year contract to serve Clinton and Franklin counties

Columbia County
Family of Woodstock $86,280
5-year contract to serve Columbia, Greene and Ulster counties

Cortland County
Cortland Area Child Care Council $109,967
5-year contract to serve Cortland County

Delaware County
Delaware Opportunities $120,484
5-year contract to serve Delaware County

Dutchess County
Child Care Council of Dutchess $297,517
5-year contract to serve Dutchess and Putnam counties

Erie County
Child Care Coalition of the Niagara Frontier $1,116,961
5-year contract to serve Erie County

Essex County
Adirondack Community Action Programs $76,422
5-year contract to serve Essex County

Franklin County
Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country $99,154
5-year contract to serve Franklin and Clinton counties

Fulton County
Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council $104,278
5-year contract to serve Fulton, Albany, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties

Genesee County
Orleans Community Action Committee $110,918
5-year contract to serve Genesee and Orleans counties

Greene County
Family of Woodstock $74,126
5-year contract to serve Greene, Columbia and Ulster counties

Hamilton County
Southern Adirondack Child Care Network $6,154
5-year contract to serve Hamilton, Warren and Washington counties

Herkimer County
Mid-York Child Care Coordinating Council $104,212
5-year contract to serve Herkimer, Madison and Oneida counties

Jefferson County
Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County $217,541
5-year contract to serve Jefferson and Lewis counties

Kings County
Day Care Council of New York $2,132,182
5-year contract to serve Kings, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Richmond counties

Lewis County
Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County $51,144
5-year contract to serve Lewis and Jefferson counties

Livingston County
Child Care Council $102,175
5-year contract to serve Livingston, Monroe and Wayne counties

Madison County
Mid-York Child Care Coordinating Council $88,625
5-year contract to serve Madison, Herkimer and Oneida counties

Manhattan County
Day Care Council of New York $1,118,742
5-year contract to serve New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens and Richmond counties

Monroe County
Child Care Council $1,276,678
5-year contract to serve Monroe, Livingston and Wayne counties

Montgomery County
Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council $78,131
5-year contract to serve Montgomery, Albany, Fulton, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties

Nassau County
Child Care Council of Nassau $730,846
5-year contract to serve Nassau County

Niagara County
Niagara Community Action Program $265,116
5-year contract to serve Niagara County

Oneida County
Mid-York Child Care Coordinating Council $420,954
5-year contract to serve Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties

Onondaga County
Child Care Solutions $518,122
5-year contract to serve Onondaga County

Ontario County
Child & Family Resources $155,414
5-year contract to serve Ontario and Yates counties

Orange County
Child Care Council of Orange County $330,609
5-year contract to serve Orange County

Orleans County
Orleans Community Action Committee $73,900
5-year contract to serve Orleans and Genesee counties

Oswego County
Integrated Community Planning of Oswego County $185,850
5-year contract to serve Oswego County

Otsego County
Catholic Charities $116,282
5-year contract to serve Otsego County

Putnam County
Child Care Council of Dutchess $115,636
5-year contract to serve Putman and Dutchess counties

Queens County
Day Care Council of New York $1,192,521
5-year contract to serve Queens, Bronx, Kings, Manhattan and Richmond counties

Rensselaer County
Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council $212,508
5-year contract to serve Rensselaer, Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties

Richmond County
Day Care Council of New York $188,372
5-year contract to serve Richmond, Bronx, Kings, Manhattan and Queens counties

Rockland County
Child Care Resources of Rockland $291,140
5-year contract to serve Rockland County

Saratoga County
Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council $255,415
5-year contract to serve Saratoga, Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties

Schenectady County
Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council $272,805
5-year contract to serve Schenectady, Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties

Schoharie County
Schoharie County Community Action Program $77,928
1-year contract to serve Schoharie County

Schuyler County
Schuyler County Child Care Coordinating Council $95,754
5-year contract to serve Schuyler County

Seneca County
Child Care Council of the Finger Lakes $78,245
5-year contract to serve Seneca and Cayuga counties

St. Lawrence County
St. Lawrence Child Care Council $182,605
1-year contract to serve St. Lawrence County

Steuben County
Pro Action of Steuben and Yates $219,948
5-year contract to serve Steuben County

Suffolk County
Child Care Council of Suffolk $871,330
5-year contract to serve Suffolk County

Sullivan County
Sullivan County Child Care Council $160,456
5-year contract to serve Sullivan County

Tioga County
Family Enrichment Network $95,685
5-year contract to serve Tioga County

Tompkins County
Day Care & Child Development Council $198,852
5-year contract to serve Tompkins County

Ulster County
Family of Woodstock $251,460
5-year contract to serve Ulster, Columbia and Greene counties

Warren County
Southern Adirondack Child Care Network $113,104
5-year contract to serve Warren, Hamilton and Washington counties

Washington County
Southern Adirondack Child Care Network $126,877
5-year contract to serve Washington, Warren and Hamilton counties

Wayne County
Child Care Council $113,458
5-year contract to serve Wayne, Monroe and Livingston counties

Westchester County
Child Care Council of Westchester $800,518
5-year contract to serve Westchester County

Wyoming County
ACCORD Corporation $54,099
1-year contract to serve Wyoming, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties

Yates County
Child & Family Resources $49,999
5-year contract to serve Yates and Ontario counties

Infant/Toddler Regional Technical Assistance Centers

Albany Region
Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council $125,000

Buffalo Region
Child Care Coalition of the Niagara Frontier $125,000

Long Island Region
Child Care Council of Suffolk $125,000

New York City Region
Child Care, Inc. $350,000

Rochester Region
Child Care Council $125,000

Syracuse Region
Child Care Solutions $125,000

Yonkers Region
Child Care Council of Westchester $125,000

Source: New York Governor

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