Child Care Resource & Referral is a program of West Central Community Action and funded by the Iowa Department of Human Services.
Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies are community
based programs staffed by early care, health, and education
professionals. CCR&R agencies work to connect families with quality
child care and facilitate professional development opportunities for
the adults who care for our youngest citizens. CCR&R also works to
build the supply of quality child care options in communities and
collects data that impact local decisions and solutions to child
care needs.
CCR&R programs in Iowa are unique to the communities they serve.
They are often housed within a larger non-profit, an Iowa Extension
office or other county agency or may be a stand-alone non-profit.
Staff employed by CCR&R can be funded by various funding streams
including DHS and Community Empowerment. Job titles and specific
duties may vary from county to county.
There are five regions in the Iowa CCR&R system, serving all 99
counties. In an effort to avoid duplication of services, a lead
agency within each region provides services to coordinate early
childhood activities by collaborating with other early childhood and
school-age partners. The Department of Human Services works through these five
agencies to deliver child care services.
Iowa Child Care Resource and Referral is part of a larger
organization, the National Association of Child Care Resource and
Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).
NACCRRA began in the mid 1970's because of a community need for a
system to assist families in finding quality child care.
