For more information about the Child Care and Development Fund click here to go to the US Government's Child Care Bureau Website

The Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) has made available $4.8 billion to States, Territories, and Tribes in fiscal year 2003. This program, authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, PL 104-193, assists low-income families, families receiving temporary public assistance, and those transitioning from public assistance in obtaining child care so they can work or attend training/education. 
 

Child Care Services Funded by CCDF 

Subsidized child care services are available to eligible families through certificates (vouchers) or contracts with providers. Parents may select any legally operating child care provider. Child care providers serving children funded by CCDF must meet basic health and safety requirements set by States and Tribes. These requirements must address prevention and control of infectious diseases, including immunizations; building and physical premises safety; and minimum health and safety training. 
 

National Indian Child Care Association

National Chid Care Information Center 

"Ensuring positive beginnings for all young children and their families."

The Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network provides statewide leadership in shaping collaborations that build a diverse, high quality child care system accessible to all Minnesota families through local child care resource and referral services.
 

Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral Network
380 Lafayette Frontage Rd, Suite 103
St. Paul, MN 55107

Tel: MNCCR&R Network (Toll Free)1-866-807-6021 
To Connect To Your Local Resource and Referral 1-888-291-9811

More info at www.mnchildcare.org

Consultation Services

The Center for Inclusive Child Care (CICC) offers free Consultation Services to child care providers and all other early childhood and school age professionals in Minnesota.

The goal of the CICC’s Consultation Services is to provide support to child care and school age care providers, enabling them to successfully include and retain children with special needs and those with challenging behaviors in their programs.

The CICC’s Consultation Services offers:

• consultation to child care and school age providers 
• referral support in finding care or determining best placement options 
• resources for staff development and education 

• Ready 4 K is a campaign working to bring about comprehensive policy change on behalf of Minnesota's children, their parents, and their caretakers.

• Ready 4 K is bringing together all sectors of the early childhood community to speak in a unified voice.

• Ready 4 K is building power - the power of thousands of Minnesotans from all walks of life who care enough about kids to stand up and speak out. 

• Ready 4 K is building a public awareness across Minnesota of both the importance of early childhood and the need to seek bold solutions to guarantee that all children are ready for school and ready for life.

• Ready 4 K shares the belief with our partners and allies that increasing the public will to support young children and their families is essential to our state’s future prosperity and well-being.

• The Child Care WORKS coalition, established in 1983, brings together parents, caregivers and advocates across Minnesota to improve child care services for all families.

• We organize events that bring people and organizations together to cooperate in improving our child care system.

• We create ways for advocates to get involved in advocating for quality, affordable child care.

• We educate and inform audiences across the state about child care issues; please contact us to request a presentation.

• We advocate for child care legislation that supports the needs of Minnesota kids, families, and caregivers.

OTHER

MECSATA is an organization committed to promoting and supporting early childhood and school age trainers in the areas of professional growth and development, leadership, and advocacy for the field.   This organization shall make every active effort to be inclusive of the personal, cultural, and professional diversity of people desiring membership and leadership within MECSATA.  MECSATA will provide opportunities to network and develop contacts within the field.   MECSATA will encourage the professional development of trainers through conferences, meetings, speakers, newsletters, and any other activities agreed upon by the Board of Directors. More info at http://etl.mnchildcare.org/mecsata.html

Children's Defense Fund (CDF) was founded in 1973 by Marian Wright Edelman to provide a strong and effective voice for the children of America, since they cannot vote, hire lobbyists, or speak out for themselves.

The mission of the CDF is to Leave No Child Behind® and to ensure every child a Healthy Start a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. Using research and data, we work to shape federal, state and local policies that best serves our children's needs in a cost-effective manner.  

More info at www.cdf-mn.org

The goal of the NorthStar Quality Improvement and Rating System (QIRS) is to generate new public and private support for quality to increase children’s school readiness and positive outcomes. The NorthStar QIRS will provide parents with the consumer information they need to compare programs, make informed choices and demand quality. The NorthStar System is also an improvement system which will increase the number of quality providers by providing clear steps to quality with support and financial rewards linked to improving and maintaining quality and to positive child outcomes.

The North Star System was developed with community input from parents, providers and concerned citizens. The statewide task force included family child care and center providers and professional organizations, MNTRECC tribal child care and Child Care Resource and Referral organizations, Head Start, state licensing, child development researchers and educators. The North Star QIRS model is currently being “field tested” with a small group of programs and is also being utilized by 47 child care centers that receive Greater Twin Cities United Way funds. 

The North Star Quality Improvement and Rating System will increase children’s school readiness through a voluntary system of specific program quality ratings for parents and through  providing support, recognition and financial incentives for participating programs. The NQIRS will also be able to demonstrate child outcomes as providers will use ongoing child observation and assessment to improve their programs and to track children’s development and learning.

• The ABCs of QRS for:
  • Child Care Centers
    
  • Family Care Centers
    
  • School-Age Programs
    
• How Can Minnesota Business Support School Readiness?
  
  
• Read more at www.ready4k.org or www.mnchildcare.org
  

Minnesota Licensed Family Child Care Association

MLFCCA is a professional family child care organization of licensed family child care providers serving children and family child care providers. 

Their mission is to support the highest standard of care for children in licensed family child care homes through education, resources, recognition, and advocacy; while acknowledging the diversity of licensed family child care providers. 

More info at www.mlfcca.org

• ALL providers in child care centers, family child care homes, and school age care sites can access the Accreditation Hotline, website and resource web links;
  
• Programs interested in investigating accreditation can check-out materials from the Accreditation Facilitation Project lending library for one month, and receive one face-to-face visit with an Accreditation Specialist;
• Pilot Programs in three designated geographic areas (the City of St. Paul, areas of north Minneapolis, and Nicollet & Blue Earth Counties) will receive in-depth technical assistance and support from the Accreditation Facilitation Project to pursue accreditation.  Programs accepted into the Accreditation Facilitation Project Pilot will receive self-study materials and the guidance of an Accreditation Specialist to develop a program improvement plan.