Parent Services Statewide User Guide - Iowa CCR&R Parent Services...Parent Services Specialist Core Job Description: ... Professional Development Planning - Sample: ... report.) Your

Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Statewide Network

Parent Services Statewide

User Guide

CCR&R Parent Services State Team members wrote this manual for staff that is responsible for, or involved with, providing

CCR&R Parent Referral Services to families.

www.iowaccrr.org

877-216-8481

Revised 4/26/17 & Effective 7/1/17 - #107E Parent Services Manual

http://www.iowaccrr.org/

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Iowa CCR&R Statewide Network Parent Services User Manual Revised April 26, 2017 and effective July 1, 2017

Funding provided by the Iowa Department of Human Services through the Child Care Development Fund

Table of Contents Iowa CCR&R Mission Statement ............................................................................................................. 3

Introduction to Parent Services ................................................................................................................ 4

Expectations of Staff ................................................................................................................................ 5

Policies .................................................................................................................................................... 6

Referral Requests by Email ..................................................................................................................... 7

Referral Script .......................................................................................................................................... 8

Bi-Lingual Referrals ................................................................................................................................. 10

Parent Referrals through another Agency ............................................................................................... 11

Community Referrals ............................................................................................................................... 12

Accessing Other Regions’ NACCRRAware Databases ........................................................................... 13

Region to Region Referrals ..................................................................................................................... 14

Following Up With Parent ........................................................................................................................ 15

Satisfaction Survey Protocols .................................................................................................................. 16

If a Parent Has a Complaint ..................................................................................................................... 16

When a Program Closes .......................................................................................................................... 17

Parent Services Specialist Core Job Description: Appendix A ................................................................ 19

Orientation - All Staff: Appendix B ........................................................................................................... 20

New Staff Orientation – Parent Services Staff: Appendix C ..................................................................... 21

Parent Referral Specialist Training: Appendix D ...................................................................................... 22

Professional Development Planning - Sample: Appendix E .................................................................... 24

Referral Assessment Call Results: Appendix F ....................................................................................... 26

Reply to Referral Request by Email: Appendix G .................................................................................... 32

Parent Referral Cover Letter - Emailed Referrals: Appendix H ................................................................ 34

Parent Intake: Appendix I ........................................................................................................................ 35

Caseworker Intake: Appendix J ............................................................................................................... 36

Iowa CCR&R Structure and Contact Information: Appendix K................................................................. 38

Parent Referral Satisfaction Survey: Appendix L ..................................................................................... 39

Parent Referral Cover Letter - Mailed Referrals: Appendix M .................................................................. 40

SAMPLE Rate Sheets: Appendix N ......................................................................................................... 41

Background Check Information: Appendix O ........................................................................................... 43

Notes for Additions and Corrections ........................................................................................................ 44

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Introduction to Child Care Resource & Referral

Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) works to ensure that families in every community have access to high quality, affordable child care. CCR&Rs statewide offer child care referrals and consultation to families, training and technical assistance to child care providers, and work with their communities to identify child care needs and create solutions. The ability to provide these comprehensive services makes Child Care Resource & Referral a unique Iowa program.

Child Care Resource & Referral has provided services in Iowa since 1978. With the support of Federal Child Development Block Grant resources, CCR&R services became available to every county in Iowa in 1992. Since that time, Iowa CCR&R programs have supported the development of the following statewide services:

Child care provider training

Child care provider consultation

Infant/toddler specific training and consultation

ChildNet training and certification

Iowa Quality Rating System assistance

CCR&R Website

Use of social media

Emergency preparedness plans

Iowa CCR&R Mission Statement

Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) provides resources, education, and advocacy to support quality child care.

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Introduction to Parent Services

Role of Parent Services:

As a Parent Services Specialist for CCR&R, you play a pivotal role in ensuring families have access to quality child care. You are often the first point of contact that a parent has to the child care system. Parent Services Specialists provide thousands of referrals in Iowa each year! An overwhelming majority of parents completing the satisfaction survey indicate that they would use CCR&R services again. The fact that parents are happy with the service is due in part to your efforts because more than half of those parents were able to find care from the services you provided. (The source of statistics is the CCR&R bi-annual report.)

Your efforts do not stop at linking families with child care providers that meet their unique needs. You take the service one step further by educating parents on what constitutes quality child care, why it’s important for the development of their child, and what they can do to ensure their child is in a quality setting.

Authors designed this guide to assist Parent Services Specialists in continuing to provide a quality service to parents, guardians and caretakers. By allowing staff to have access to this manual, CCR&R can reach their goal of providing a high-quality service in a consistent manner to parents across Iowa.

Quality Assurance:

In 2002, Child Care Aware of America launched Child Care Aware® Quality Assurance, a voluntary national certification program developed by NACCRRA (National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies) to increase the quality of child care services available to families. Because of the efforts of dedicated parent referral staff, Iowa distinguished itself in 2008 by being the only state to achieve Quality Assurance across all of its CCR&R agencies.

We set a goal of achieving QA for our CCR&R system because we wanted a process that would drive us towards continuous quality assurance and excellence in service delivery. Due to unforeseen cost increases and significant changes in the QA process, DHS staff and Regional Directors decided not to continue QA certification. However, we have continued our commitment to ensuring that CCR&R staff achieves and maintains best practices throughout each CCR&R and that parent services are of the highest integrity.

Purpose of Guide

CCR&R parent services staff developed this guide to ensure that the commitment to quality and consistent parent services continues. Throughout the guide, you will find the best practices of parent services, delivered throughout the history of CCR&R, compiled in one easy location for your reference. It tells how to:

Support staff with Job Description, Orientation and New Staff Orientation - Appendices A, B and C

Support the professional development of parent service staff – Appendices D and E

Manage a call with a parent from first ring to follow-up

Handle complaints

Make the best use of web resources

Make NACCRRAware and parent services work together

Keep our services high quality by using the RAC (Referral Assessment Call) – Appendix F

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Save you time by providing sample forms, tip sheets, and other resources to make sure you have what you need to do your job

Whether you are a first time referral specialist or a long-term staff who needs a refresher, this guide provides the information and tools to continue Iowa’s long history of meeting parents’ needs in finding child care.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this guide, please contact your CCR&R Regional Director. If you find errors or omissions, please keep track of them on page 44 of this guide.

Expectations of Staff

You are the key to success for CCR&R Parent Referral Services. The strength of those services is only as strong as the effort you put forth in implementing the practices in this guide. As you begin to orient yourself to the information and resources in the guide, do the following to ensure our services remain strong:

1. Assure back-up for services is available within each region. We’ve built NACCRRAware so staff is able to provide support to families not only within the region, but across regional lines as well. With the ability of parents to access child care information from so many places, and none of it as up-to-date as CCR&R’s, it’s important that we meet parents’ needs in a timely fashion.

2. Assure CCR&R services and materials are culturally sensitive, readable, and meet the needs of the diverse populations that we serve. The guide will provide you with many of the tools you need. Your job is to access them when needed, be aware of translator and other services that can help you meet the needs of families whose first language is not English, and stay abreast of the changing dynamics in your communities (ethnicity, socio-economic factors, workforce, etc.)

3. Assure staff meets key requirements of the DHS contract. Many of the contract expectations for the delivery of parent services appear later in this guide. Below are some additional provisions of the contract that strive to keep our services consistent and meet the needs of families we serve.

Identify yourself as the “Child Care Resource and Referral” agency of your region/area.

Identify the Iowa CCR&R system on all documents, presentation materials and other written materials developed with DHS funds. Include the following statement: “Funding provided by the Iowa Department of Human Services through the Child Care Development Fund.”

Adhere to the CCR&R logo protocol as defined in the Iowa Child Care Resource and Referral Brand Book.

Conduct an annual review of all consumer education materials for accuracy and updated information, including eligibility level of programs for people with low incomes.

Ensure that the web-based referral follow-up format used is the standardized state format and that the regional office compiles the data.

Make reasonable efforts to obtain email addresses of parents and providers when securing parent referrals and adding providers to referral database.

Provide consumer education and referrals to all parents regardless of income. Iowa CCR&R provides all parent referrals at no cost.

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Ensure that parent referrals are available via the Internet through the mechanisms provided under the NACCRRAware data management system.

Include the provider’s Quality Rating System (QRS) level in the information maintained in NACCRRAware and provide the QRS level to parents at time of referral. Encourage parents to use the QRS as a tool when choosing appropriate child care.

4. Assure parent packet materials are consistent with the requirements outlined in the current scope of service. The packets have been developed by consensus and reflect the core materials we want all families to receive in a manner that doesn’t overwhelm them and provides them the key elements they need in choosing quality child care.

5. Assure state forms and scripts are consistent across the state. In assuring that our services look the same no matter what county a parent is calling from, it is important that we not customize the forms or make changes without the agreement of the CCR&R system. Do not alter forms without prior approval of the CCR&R State Network.

6. Participate in statewide Parent Referral Services meetings. Parent services will continue to evolve with new technologies, changing needs of families and communities, etc. One designated Parent Referral Specialist from each region will participate in statewide meetings to ensure that we are aware of the emerging needs and trends, to bring fresh ideas, resolve challenges, and to ensure that we use resources in the most effective manner possible. The designated Parent Referral Specialist staff will share information from these meetings with appropriate staff in their region.

Policies

Confidentiality Policy Keep all parent, child, and provider records confidential and handle in compliance with State and Federal law. Child Care Resource and Referral will not reveal the name or any identifying factors of any individual who seeks services through CCR&R unless written permission is given by the individual.

Fees There is no cost for the referral service in Iowa.

Referrals not Recommendations

The names provided are intended as referrals only. We cannot warrant the information concerning any provider. We do not license, endorse or recommend any particular provider, nor can we assure you that any provider gives quality care.

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Referral Requests by Email

Sometimes a parent sends an email to request names of providers. Parents think that CCR&R Parent Specialists just provide a generic list. Parent Specialists do not send “lists”. They send names and information of child care options based on each family’s individual needs. Therefore, Parent Specialists need specific information about the family before they can do the referral.

If a parent contacts you by email instead of calling, respond with reply #1 (Appendix G).

If the parent replies that they want you to do the referral by email, respond with reply #2 (Appendix G).

When you are ready to email the referral to the parent, use the Parent Referral Cover Letter for emailed referrals (Appendix H).

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Referral Script

General Instructions:

Listen

Sound Conversational

Question

Restate

Validate/Clarify Needs

Respect the caller’s time

Greeting: Hello, Child Care Resource and Referral, this is __________________________.

We can provide information about the child care options in your area. First we need to gather some information so we can find providers that might fit your needs. The service that we offer is free and confidential. We will not share the information you provide with anyone outside this organization.

Since we provide referrals - not recommendations or suggestions, I will share some tips on finding quality care someone that is right for you and your family.

The call takes about 10-15 minutes. Is this a good time for you? (Sometimes the caller does not have 10 minutes to spare and may not call back. You can either ask them to tell you a good time to call them back, or get enough basic information to do the referral. Tell them you will mail a book or email a link to the book. Encourage them to read the book for information on choosing quality.)

Begin filling out the intake form and filling out data. See Appendix I for required data fields.

Iowa Department of Human Services completes Iowa abuse registry checks and criminal record checks on all staff in licensed centers and preschools. If the staff person is eighteen years or older, they have also been fingerprinted. DHS completes the same record checks and fingerprinting on everyone living or working in a Child Development Home or Child Care Home approved to accept Child Care Assistance payments.

Some providers have not notified Department of Human Services that they are doing child care, but they want CCR&R to give their name to parents. We only have the authority to do an Iowa Abuse Registry check on the provider, but no one else in the household. We also cannot do criminal record checks or record checks in other states. Do you want me to include names from all types of care?

After completing the intake, discuss the resources that will be sent and inform the client on what to look for in a quality program.

When you receive the information, they are just REFERRALS; we cannot recommend or suggest anyone. The packet I send will contain information to help you look for a quality program.

When you receive the referral, call the providers to set up a time to visit and double check their vacancies. We try to provide you with names of programs that may have current openings. That information tends to change often so it is best to verify information with the program.

When you meet, you will want to talk with the provider/center:

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Child/Staff Ratios and Group Size: Keep in mind that smaller group size and ratios allows more individual time and attention for your child and their needs.

Family Involvement: It is important that the program informs you about your child’s day, such as a daily note and/or conversation. Also check to see if the program allows unlimited access to your child while they are in care. Once you enroll your child in the program, you should not have to call before bringing them or picking them up.

Health and Safety: You want to make sure it is a clean and safe environment. Are the toys safe and age appropriate? Are there smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and outlet covers? Do the providers and children wash their hands before meals and after using the restrooms? Make sure that they sanitize and disinfect the toys and equipment.

For infants: Look at where your infant will sleep and ask the caregiver if they practice SAFE SLEEP. They should ALWAYS place infants on their backs and with no pillows, stuffed animals, blankets or bumper pads in their cribs. They should sanitize and disinfect the diaper change pad or area after each changing. When infants are up and awake, they should have plenty of supervised tummy time, with minimal time in a swing or bouncy seat.

Caregiver Education: Ask the provider about their educational background or experience they have; the providers with degrees or extra trainings often are better able to help your child learn.

Check references on the providers you are thinking about choosing. Trust your instinct! It is ok to be picky about the child care you are choosing for your child.

There will also be information in your packet about VOLUNTARY programs for centers and Child Development Homes. These programs show that the provider or center is committed to providing quality care.

One is the Iowa Quality Rating System or QRS. This is a 5 level rating system with 5 being the highest level a program can achieve. Reaching each level means they made significant steps to meet indicators such as professional development, curriculum, and family communications.

Another is program is ChildNet Certification. This is an option for Child Development homes. The provider takes 25 hours of training and then goes through a certification process to show that they met benchmarks in areas such as business practices, child development, and health and safety factors.

Homes and centers can also become Nationally Accredited. Look for this information on the referrals under the “Quality Indicators” heading. If you do not see anything listed, you can ask that provider if they plan to work towards any of these initiatives.

We will also send information about tax credits and other financial assistance programs that are available. If you think you might qualify to receive Child Care Assistance to help pay for child care, would you like me to include information on it? (Go into more detail as needed)

You can find more information in the booklet called A Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care that we include for you to review.

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Your email or mailed packet will include the following materials:

Names of child care programs that may meet your specific needs

Average child care rates for your county (if not discussed during the call)

“A Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care” booklet, (or a link to the online book if you email the referral)

Iowa Quality Rating System (QRS) materials

Safe Sleep information (If the parent has children age twelve months or younger)

Optional materials (information on CCA, inclusion, community referral, etc.)

Do you have any additional questions?

I will send your packet __________________ (depends on emailing or mail – mail allow for 2-3 business days). If you do have any questions once you review the information, please do not hesitate to call. Would you like to receive parenting tips and other information from us?

Our funding does require that we get feedback from the families who use our services. You will receive a satisfaction survey in about 2-3 weeks. This important information will help us evaluate our services. If you have any problems before this, please contact us so that we can work together and see if there is anything more that we can do.

Thank you for calling.

Bi-Lingual Referrals

Each CCR&R office should have a list of interpreters (see below) who speak the predominant languages in the region. When a parent who does not speak English calls for a referral, they typically have an interpreter make the call. If the caller uses a young child as an interpreter, ask the child what language the parent speaks and get their telephone number. Tell the child someone will call back to talk with the parent. If the caller is an adult or a child who is twelve years or older, you may use them as the interpreter.

If the child is under twelve years old, the Parent Referral Specialist should call an interpreter/translator or the parent’s case manager if you can determine they have one. The Parent Services Specialist should provide the interpreter with an intake sheet and a script of the consumer education. After the interpreter makes the call, they should send the intake back to the Referral Specialist to generate a referral for the parent. The Parent Referral Specialist sends the referral and letter either to the parent or to the interpreter to translate and give to the parent. Give appropriate written materials to the parent in their home language when available.

Send the parent satisfaction survey to the translator. The CCR&R office should pay the translator for their services, just as they do for sign language interpreters. Use the script below to get the phone number of the caller if they speak Spanish.

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Script for Spanish speaking clients: Hello - Hola? (o-la)

What's your name? Como se llamas? (kō-mō/ say/ ya-ma)

Can you spell that? Puedes escribir esto? (pway-day/ ess-kree-beer/ ess-toe)

What is your phone number? Cual es su numero de telefono? (kwal/ ess/ soo/ noo-may-ro/ day/ tay-lay-fo-no)

When a parent is telling you their phone # (the most important part to get):

Zero - Cero (say-ro)

One – Uno

Two – Dos

Three – Tres

Four – Cuatro

Five – Cinco

Six – Seis

Seven – Siete

Eight – Ocho

Nine - Nueve

Someone that can speak Spanish will call you back soon. - Algien que habla espanol, le regresara su llamada pronto. (all-geen/ kay/ ah-blah/ ess-pahn-yole/ lay/ re-grey-sa-ra/ soo/ yah-ma-da?)

Thank you - Gracias. (Grah-see-ahs)

If you don’t have bi-lingual staff, you can contact a translation service. Contact information Region 1 SpectraCorp, 1-866-895-7374 Region 2 None

Region 3 West Central Community Action bi-lingual staff such as Head Start

Region 4 If no bi-lingual staff person, use Voices/Darcy Lopez, [email protected] or

Language Tech/Forrest Corson, [email protected]

Region 5 Translations Unlimited, 563-324-7125

Parent Referrals through another Agency Sometimes a caseworker calls CCR&R for referrals for a parent who cannot call for themselves. Explain to the caseworker that it is best that we talk with the parent because we customize the referral for each parent. Explain that we also give each parent tips on questions to ask and things to observe when visiting child care programs. If the parent cannot call, ask the casework if they have the parent’s permission to give information to us. If the caseworker has the parent’s permission to share information:

Gather as much information as possible from the caseworker

Ask the caseworker to relay the information about choosing quality child care to the parent. Tell them you will send them either the “Choosing Quality Child Care” book or a link to find it online.

Ask the caseworker to explain to the parent that these are only referrals, not recommendations.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Do the search for child care and deliver the referral as requested (mail/email/fax to the parent or caseworker.)

If the caseworker does not have permission to proceed:

Tell the caseworker you will email a copy of a caseworker intake (Appendix J) to give to the parent

Ask the caseworker to relay the information about choosing quality child care to the parent.

Ask the caseworker to explain to the parent that these are only referrals, not recommendations.

When you receive the completed Caseworker Intake, do the child care search and deliver as requested (mail or email to the parent, or email to the caseworker.)

Include the “Choosing Quality Child Care” book in the referral packet or email the link to it.

Community Referrals

Below is a list of common community resources that a family may need and/or want to contact. Ask your community specialist for local community resources not listed here. In most instances, you will want to refer parents to the local office instead of the contact information below. The website links may give local office information. Include the community referral in the child care referral packet.

In Parent Book

CCA (Child Care Assistance) - Parents who qualify may get help to pay for child care. http://dhs.iowa.gov/child-care 866-448-4605

Child Development Screening – If a parent wants to know if their child is ready to learn new things. Iowa Family Support Network http://www.iafamilysupportnetwork.org 1-888-425-4371

Early Access – If a parent has concerns about how their child plays, hears, sees, talks, eats or moves. Iowa Family Support Network http://www.iafamilysupportnetwork.org/ 1-888-425-4371

Energy Assistance/LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program – If a family has trouble paying their heating bill. https://humanrights.iowa.gov/dcaa/liheap 515-281-0859 or your local Community Action Agency

FIP (Family Investment Program) - Provides cash assistance to families as they become self-supporting http://dhs.iowa.gov/cash-assistance 1-800- 972-2017

Food Assistance – Provides assistance to families to purchase healthy food. http://dhs.iowa.gov/food-assistance 877-937-3663

hawk-i (Healthy & Well Kids in Iowa) - Offers health care coverage for uninsured children of working families. https://dhs.iowa.gov/hawk-i 800-257-8563

Head Start – Provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services http://www.iowaheadstart.com/ 515-331-8000 or local Head Start Centers

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) – Services for families of children with special needs. Iowa Family Support Network http://www.iafamilysupportnetwork.org/ 1-888-425-4371

TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) - Provides cash assistance to families as they become self-supporting. http://dhs.iowa.gov/cash-assistance 1-800- 972-2017

Tax Credits www.irs.gov 800-829-1040 o Child Tax Credit o Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit o Earned Income Credit

http://dhs.iowa.gov/child-care

http://www.iafamilysupportnetwork.org/


https://humanrights.iowa.gov/dcaa/liheap

http://dhs.iowa.gov/cash-assistance

http://dhs.iowa.gov/food-assistance

https://dhs.iowa.gov/hawk-i

http://www.iowaheadstart.com/


http://dhs.iowa.gov/cash-assistance

http://www.irs.gov/

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WIC (Women Infants and Children) http://idph.iowa.gov/wic 800-532-1579

Additional Resources

AEA (Area Education Agencies) http://www.iowaaea.org/

CACFP (Child & Adult Care Food Program) https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/nutrition-programs/child-adult-care-food-programs

Child Health Specialty Clinics – Services for children with special health care needs http://www.chsciowa.org/ 866-219-9119

Child Support Recovery - Services to ensure families receive the child support they need to meet the financial and health needs of their children. http://dhs.iowa.gov/child-support 888-229-9223

Community Action Agency – A variety of support programs that address the needs of financially insecure families. http://iowacommunityaction.org/ or 515-244-0307

DHS (Department of Human Services) – Services to protect and enhance the health and well-being of citizens, especially those least able to help themselves http://dhs.iowa.gov/ 800-972-2017

ECI (Early Childhood Iowa) – Funds local programs for families of children ages birth-five years. http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/ 515-281-4321

Healthy Child Care Iowa - Funded to improve the health and safety of children while they are enrolled in child care and early education settings http://idph.iowa.gov/hcci talkline 800-39-2229

Iowa Child Abuse Hotline – To report suspected child abuse. 800-362-2178

Iowa Child Care Provider Complaint Hotline – General complaints about a provider 844-786-1296

Iowa Domestic Abuse Hotline 800-942-0333

Iowa State University Extension & Outreach – Parenting newsletters and classes on child development, guidance techniques, budgets, nutrition and more https://www.extension.iastate.edu/

Public Health https://idph.iowa.gov/ 515-281-7689 also local public health offices in every county

Accessing Other Regions’ NACCRRAware Databases

If an office receives a referral request from another region, you have the option to complete the referral on the other region’s behalf. Refer to instructions on pages 13 and 14. Other occasions when you may need to access the database of another region is to invite providers in bordering counties to training or to look up a provider’s information if they relocated to your region.

If you distribute information to another region’s providers, please inform the Region’s Data Specialist and child care consultant, so they can respond to questions received from providers.

For these reasons, you will need access to the other region’s NACCRRAware database. The security level is Create and Modify. For information regarding passwords, contact your local Data Specialist or Regional Director.

Regions broken down by county

Region 1: Buena Vista, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmett, Hamilton, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Osceola, O’Brien, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Wright

http://idph.iowa.gov/wic

http://www.iowaaea.org/

https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/nutrition-programs/child-adult-care-food-programs

https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/nutrition-programs/child-adult-care-food-programs

http://www.chsciowa.org/

http://dhs.iowa.gov/child-support

http://iowacommunityaction.org/

http://dhs.iowa.gov/

http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/

http://idph.iowa.gov/hcci

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/

https://idph.iowa.gov/

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Region 2: Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Hancock, Howard, Mitchell, Winneshiek, Worth

Region 3: Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Taylor, Union

Region 4: Adair, Appanoose, Boone, Clarke, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Hardin, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, Wapello, Warren, Wayne

Region 5: Benton, Cedar, Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott, Tama, Van Buren, Washington

For more information, please refer to CCR&R Structure and Contact Information: Appendix K

Region to Region Referrals

Occasionally a parent will call a CCR&R office in a region that does not typically serve the county where the parent needs child care. The goal is to provide the parent with the best customer service possible without having them make unnecessary phone calls. However, the office where the parent called may not know the neighborhoods and resources in the county where the parent needs the care, so in some circumstances, it may be better for the parent to call the other region.

If the parent has already made numerous calls, or otherwise seems stressed:

Take the call and do an intake and consumer education, just as if the parent was looking for care in your region

Tell the parent that the referral will come from the CCR&R office that serves their area since their staff has more knowledge of specific areas of the city and local resources

After ending the call:

Email, call or fax the intake/information to the Region where the parent is looking for the child care. That Parent Specialist will enter the parent information on their region’s NACCRRAware and use it to send the referral to the client.

The specialist that took the initial call will go to his/her region’s NACCRRAware database and enter the client’s information. He/she will mark “consultation” in the action log.

The region that does the referral will send the satisfaction survey (Appendix L) and report it on their state report. Rationale: If the parent needs additional referrals, they will connect with the person who serves their area.

If the parent is not stressed, tell him/her there is a CCR&R office that is closer and give them the option to:

1. Have you continue to do the consumer education - or - 2. Give them the number of their regional office to do the consumer education and referral.

If the parent chooses option #1:

Take the call and do an intake and consumer education, just as if the parent was looking for care in your region.

Tell the parent that the referral will come from the CCR&R office that serves their area since their staff has more knowledge of specific neighborhoods of the city and availability of local resources.

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If parent chooses option #2:

Tell the parent you will have someone at their local CCR&R office call them – and –

Give the parent the phone number of their local CCR&R office so they know who is calling them if they have Caller ID.

After ending the call:

If the caller chooses to call their local CCR&R directly and all you do is give them the phone number, mark technical assistance in the log of the file called “unidentified caller”. (The file may also be called “unknown caller”). If you gather the parent’s information and do consumer education, go into your region’s NACCRRAware client database and enter the client’s information. Mark “consultation” in the action log.

The region that does the referral will send the survey and report it on their state report. Rationale: If the parent needs additional referrals, they will connect with the person who serves their area, and the majority of questions on the survey pertain to the referral, not the person who does the consumer education.

Following Up With Parent

Required Parent Packet Materials

The DHS Scope of Service requires that the parent packet (whether mailed or emailed) contains:

Standard cover letter (Appendix M) that includes: o Disclaimer language regarding referral versus recommendation;

o Confidentiality statement;

o CCR&R website;

o Statement regarding services provided at no-cost

QRS Parent Information

“Choosing Quality Child Care” booklet or a link to the online version

Child Care Referrals generated by the CCR&R Parent Services Specialist

You can include optional parent packet materials based on the family’s needs, such as:

Safe sleep information

Child Care Aware Materials – http://childcareaware.org/resources/printable-materials/ to download

Cost of care in their area (rate sheet, samples on Appendix N)

Background check information (Appendix O)

AEA/Early Childhood Brochure

Local ECI funded opportunities such as preschool tuition scholarships or local initiatives

Local Community Health Centers information

Local community events regarding child and family health, literacy, etc.

Contact information for a variety of community resources/partners (community referral)

Other materials dependent on the needs of the family

http://childcareaware.org/resources/printable-materials/

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Satisfaction Survey Protocols

Within 2-3 weeks of the referral, send a satisfaction survey (Appendix L) to all parents who receive a referral from contacting CCR&R by telephone or walking in. The designated person who handles each task below may vary from one region to another.

For referrals that you mail or fax: 1. Print the parent survey. 2. Place the survey and a self-addressed stamped envelope into another envelope for mailing. 3. Put the date to be mailed (2-3 weeks after the referral date) on the upper right hand corner where

the stamp will go and mail it close to that date 4. On the date you mail the survey, document it in NACCRRAware. In the action log, mark “Follow-up

Attempted” as the action. In the comments section, put “mailed survey”. 5. When the parent returns the survey, enter the results into NACCRRAware on the “Follow-up”

Screen. In the action log, enter the action as either “Follow-up Telephone” or “Follow-up Walk-in”, depending on how you did the referral.

For referrals that you email:

1. On the date you email the survey (with either an email or a link to Survey Monkey), document it in NACCRRAware. In the action log, mark “Follow-up Attempted” as the action. In the comments section, put “emailed survey”.

2. When the parent returns the survey, enter the results into NACCRRAware on the “Follow-up” screen. In the action log, enter the action as either “Follow-up Telephone” or “Follow-up Walk-in”, depending on how you did the referral.

Each month if your office does not have a 10% return rate of the satisfaction surveys: 1. Run and print a report of parents who have not returned their survey. 2. Divide the names on the printed report among CCR&R staff. Have them call parents until you get

enough responses to reach a 10% return rate.

If a Parent Has a Complaint

About CCR&R Services:

Parents with concerns regarding the quality of the child care referral process or referral listing should contact the CCR&R Regional Director by phone.

Region 1: 800-859-2025, ext. 3480: Buena Vista, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Hamilton, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Osceola, O’Brien, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Wright

Region 2: 800-475-0804: Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Hancock, Howard, Mitchell, Winneshiek, Worth

Region 3: 800-945-9778: Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Taylor, Union,

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Region 4: 800-722-7619: Adair, Appanoose, Boone, Clark, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Hardin, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, Wapello, Warren, Wayne

Region 5: 866-324-3236: Benton, Cedar, Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott, Tama, Van Buren, Washington

About Information on the Referral:

Much of the information we have on child care providers is self-reported. We ask them to complete an intake with numerous questions. For example, if they indicate that they have training or experience in special needs, we do not verify that information. Some of those things appear on the referral to the parent. If a parent calls to complain about those things, inform them that it is what the provider self-reported.

About a Provider:

Personality-Related Complaints: If a parent has a complaint regarding a provider’s style of interaction, business practice, or any other personality-related matter, as well as complaints regarding their business practices, ask the parent if they want you to do another referral for someone new.

Non-Compliance Complaints: If a parent has a complaint regarding a provider’s non-compliance with the regulations for homes or centers such as caring for too many children or unsafe conditions, encourage the parent to call the Iowa Child Care Complaint Hotline at 844-786-1296.

Regulatory:

If the parent suspects their child has experienced abuse while in child care, encourage the parent to call the Iowa Child Abuse Hotline at 800-362-2178.

Revocation: If a parent contacts us with a question about a provider that has a posted notice to revoke the referral specialist can explain to them that CCR&R is aware of or has received information from DHS that a notice to revoke the registration or license has been served on a provider. The provider is required to post the notice but they remain in business pending a final outcome if they appeal.

When a Program Closes

When Child Care Resource & Referral receives word that a child development home, a child care home, a center or a preschool closes, the following steps take place:

1) If the program did not notify CCR&R directly, the Parent Referral Specialist or the Child Care Consultant should contact the program to verify that they are closing and the date they intend to close.

2) The Parent Services Specialist or the Child Care Consultant should offer parent services to help the families locate alternative child care by offering to do the following:

Go to the program site near closing time to talk to families directly and potentially complete an intake sheet and/or referral to provide services in a timely manner

Mail or deliver brochures and/or business cards to the program for their families to contact CCR&R for referrals

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3) If the program wants to remain open, offer CCR&R services to continue operation of the program. Tell the appropriate child care consultant so they can offer assistance.

4) If a program is registered, licensed or approved to accept Child Care Assistance payments and is officially quitting, have them contact the Department of Human Services licensing or registration office to close their file.

5) When the program is closed and/or no longer exists, ask the appropriate person to change the program’s file in NACCRRAware and other provider databases to INACTIVE and non-referable.

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Parent Services Specialist Core Job Description: Appendix A Job descriptions of staff with consumer education and referral responsibilities will include at a minimum: Duties and Responsibilities:

Provide parent referral services as needed.

Work one on one with parents face-to-face, by phone or by email to complete intake information describing the family’s child care needs.

Coordinate services for non-English speaking parents through a third party translator or case manager.

Search the provider database using the intake information provided by the parent.

Provide the parent with referrals by mail or email that match their child care needs.

Referrals will include any provider that DHS has approved as meeting the criteria for licensure, registration, or the receipt of Child Care Assistance payment, or child care homes that pass an Iowa Iowa Abuse Registry record check at the request of CCR&R.

Inform parents verbally and through written parent information packets that they will receive a referral and not a recommendation.

Provide each parent with consumer education, including information and materials on identifying quality child care, regulatory differences among provider types, and options in child care.

Assess family’s eligibility and refer to Child Care Assistance, HAWK-I and other resources as appropriate.

Survey all parents requesting child care referrals by email, mail or phone to determine if parents were able to locate the care they were seeking based on referral information they received.

Maintain parent information on NACCRRAware including efforts to obtain email addresses on parents.

Provide support - within 48 business hours of notice – to the provider and assistance to parents when notified of a potential or actual closing of a child development home or center.

Education and/or Experience: A Bachelor’s Degree appropriate to the position. Parent Services Specialists will demonstrate computer skills including managing a database and using Excel.

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Orientation - All Staff: Appendix B

Name: Start Date: 90 days:

Employing Agency (optional employing agency may use agency orientation plan)

Date Completed

Activity

Tour of agency, including where to park

Email account set up

Business cards ordered

Review of agency personnel policies, benefits

Contact list for all CCR&R staff

Meet one on one with agency CCR&R staff to review expectations of positions

Review procedure for submitting supply orders

Review procedure for submitting mileage, travel and other reimbursements

Overview of Shared Drive or shared computer files (if applicable)

Review of schedule of meetings expected to attend

Review of building fire and tornado plans

Review procedure for calling in absences

Review procedure for documenting weekly schedules

Review procedure for documenting time worked (if applicable)

Meet with assigned local mentor

Orientation to local community resources with local mentor

Signed Date Area Office Coordinator or Supervisor

Signed Date Regional Director

Signed Date

21



New Staff Orientation – Parent Services Staff: Appendix C

Name: Start Date: 90 days:

With Regional Director or Staff Supervisor

Date Completed

Activity

Review the position’s job description

Introduce and review policies and procedures for Parent Services

Complete virtual training on NACCRRAware through Technical Support (if needed)

View “Voices: A Multimedia training for professionals Who Provide Consumer Education and Child Care Referrals to Families” DVDs (See Appendix D for outline)

Observe walk-in and/or phone referrals with another Parent Services Coordinator

Complete one-on-one training on child care regulations and review with Child Care Consultants

Complete training and practice on referral script

Complete training and practice on NACCRRAware searches

Complete training and practice on web referrals

Complete training and practice on follow up process

Complete training and practice on quality indicators

Complete training on required reporting forms

Training plan and time line developed

Training completed as required

In an evaluation call from the regional office, successfully meets a minimum of 29 points on the NACCRRA Quality Assurance Referral Assessment Call Checklist

Signed Date Parent Services Specialist

Signed Date Regional Director

22



Parent Referral Specialist Training: Appendix D

Parent Referral Specialists can watch a set of “Voices” DVDs to learn or review the best practices of doing a parent referral. Training is also available online at http://naccrra.smarthorizons.org/ccrr/ or from another Parent Referral Specialist.

Voices content outline

This powerful three-minute introduction sets the stage for delivering referral services that are truly family-centered. Use the presentation as a thought provoking motivational tool for staff, or as a conversation starter for boards and advisory groups.

Lesson 1: Elements of Customer Service

Establishing Rapport: Availability of Service, Greeting, Conversational Tone

Active Listening: Encourage Conversation with a Word, Acknowledge, Restate, Validate, Check in

Open Ended Questioning

This lesson teaches you how to set a conversational tone and establish rapport with families from the moment you answer their call. Your referral counselors will learn the five active listening skills they need to improve communication, gather information, and clarify family needs. Every employee who uses this lesson will learn the keys to outstanding telephone customer service.

Lesson II: Managing the Call

Using a Referral Script

Setting Expectations

Providing Critical Information: Referral Fee, Confidentiality, Disclaimer, Call Length

Collecting Data

This lesson demonstrates how referral counselors can use a referral script and still be themselves on the phone. Learn how to set expectations for the call, assess time constraints, and provide critical information such as fee policies, confidentiality and disclaimers. Your referral counselors will be able to collect data without making parents feel interrogated.

Lesson III: Providing Individualized Information

Types of Care

Regulatory/Licensing System

Average Cost

Financial Assistance: Subsidy, Tax credits, Other financial assistance

Quality Indicators: Group size, Ratio, Family involvement, Caregiver education & turnover, Health & safety indicators

This information packed lesson will teach your staff how to offer families the consumer education they need to make good child care choices. Do your referral calls include the all-important quality indicators and other information required by the Criteria for Best Practices? In this lesson, referral counselors will hear a variety of specific examples guaranteed to help families and meet quality assurance standards.

http://naccrra.smarthorizons.org/ccrr/

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Lesson IV: Organizing the Search for Care

Appropriate Referrals

Plan for Finding Care

Regulatory Contact

Written Materials

Creative Solutions

Additional Support

This lesson teaches referral specialists how to help families anticipate the next steps in the search for child care. From giving appropriate referrals to reinforcing the consultation with written consumer education materials, your staff will know how to help parents conduct a successful search. The material includes brainstorming creative solutions when there are no easy answers.

Lesson V: Sample Calls, Putting it All Together

This lesson provides the missing link in many new staff orientation and on-going professional development plans. Referral specialists will learn how to put all the elements of a successful referral call together. Your staff will hear three complete calls followed by questions for group discussion. Use this lesson as a model for recording your own calls and debriefing them with staff.

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Professional Development Planning - Sample: Appendix E

Name:

Date:

Department: Job Title:

Level of Education:

Review Date(s):

My ultimate / overall personal professional goal:

Goals – (A minimum of 2) 1. Goal reflects

data required from funding source or scope of service.

2. Goal reflects personal professional plan.

Activities to Accomplish

Indicators of Success

Time Lines

Date Achieved

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Review Meeting date:

Signature Date Supervisor Signature Date





Required Trainings Best Practice Trainings Professional “Want”

Trainings

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training

Best practices of Parent Referrals. Delivery methods include the “Voices DVD”, online through Child Care Aware, or Local CCR&R Parent Services Specialist

CPR

First Aid

Day on the Hill (at least once)

Child Care Aware (formerly NACCRRA) Policy Symposium

Various NACCRRA Trainings online

Note: “In order to attend trainings you must have all your work completed and up to date, have not attended more than 2 trainings in one fiscal year, and your budget / funding allows it.”

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Referral Assessment Call Results: Appendix F

Total Scores:

_____ / 3 Availability of consumer education and referral services

_____ / 6 The greeting

_____ / 2 Clarification of needs

_____ / 13 Individualized information provided during the call

_____ / 3 Referrals

_____ / 4 Anticipation of what is to come

_____ / 6 Communication techniques

_____ / 3 Flow of the call

_____ / 2 Optional

_____ / 40 Total (Maximum of 42 if optional is also met)

Scoring:

36 or More/40 Items (90% or higher) = Exceeds QA Standards

29 - 35/40 Items (71-89%) = Meets QA Standards

28 or fewer/40 Items (70% or less) = Does Not Meet QA Standards

Name of Parent Services Specialist doing the referral:

Region #: Date of call Date referral received

Agency Published Hours:

Call in process: 1st 2nd 3rd Ocher:

Date of follow-up call with agency:

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The Referral Assessment (RA) Caller completes the following:

Real name of person placing the RA call

Scenario used:

Name used

Address currently at

Moving to (if applicable)

Child name

Hours of care

Family make up

Reason you need care

Income

How you heard about CCRR

Date of call Time call began Time call ended

Notes:

_____/ 3 Availability of consumer education and referral services

Phone system easily understood by client (1.A.1.a) Hold time was less than 10 minutes (1.A.1.a) Phone is answered “live” during published business hours (1.A.1.a)

OR Message left with “live” person who indicated call would be returned; Time message was left

OR No answer, voicemail message left at (time) and message returned within one business day Time/date of message return:

OR No call returned or message returned late Time/date of message left Time/date of call returned

Comments:

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_____/ 6 The greeting by the specialist

The phone was answered in a courteous and polite manner (1.A.2.a)

Expectations for the call were explained (1.A.2.a)

The specialist assessed my time constraints (1.A.2.a)

A positive, conversational tone was set for the call (1.A.2.a)

I was informed of the fee policy prior to receiving information (1.A.2.b)

I understood that all information I provided would be kept confidential (1.A.2.c)

Comments:

_____/ 2 Clarification of needs

Information was collected in a seemingly unbiased, sensitive manner (1.A.3.a) Effective communication techniques were utilized to clarify my needs, which

include but are not limited to:

o Focusing—the specialist summarized the conversation to help get a better perspective of what I was saying

o Questioning—the specialist asked probing, open ended questions to ascertain my needs

o Restating—the specialist repeated what I said, perhaps slightly differently, to ensure (s)he had a good understanding of what my intent was

o Validating—the specialist indicated that what I was saying made sense and was valid

o Other:

Comments:

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____/ 13 Individualized information provided during the call

The different child care options were explained clearly and understandably (1.A.3.a)

The basics of the state’s regulatory requirements were explained clearly and understandably (1.A.3.a)

The average cost of care for my child was provided (1.A.3.c) (Check those that apply.)

Age Geographic Area Type of care

Information about subsidy was provided OR offered to provide by phone (1.A.3.f)

Information about the Earned Income Tax Credit was provided OR offered to provide by phone (1.A.3.f)

Information about other forms of financial assistance was provided OR offered to provide by phone (1.A.3.g.)

The following quality indicator information was given: (1.A.3.b)

Group size was provided OR offered to provide by phone

Ratios was provided OR offered to provide by phone

Accreditation was provided OR offered to provide by phone

Family involvement was provided OR offered to provide by phone

Caregiver education and turnover was provided OR offered to provide by phone

Health & safety indicators was provided OR offered to provide by phone

Additional support services were provided OR offered to provide as needed

Comments:

_____/ 3 Referrals

I understood that all options were referrals and not recommendations (1.A.2.d)

Referrals provided were free of personal bias on the part of the specialist (1.A.3.a)

I was offered referrals by:

Phone E-mail

Fax Regular mail (was told will send)

Comments:

30

Iowa CCR&R Statewide Network Parent Services User Manual Revised April 26, 2017 and Effective July 1, 2017


_____/ 4 Anticipation of what is to come

Specialist covered what is to be expected in the referral packet (1.A.3.b)

Specialist mentioned evaluation will be forth coming (2.C.1.a)

We discussed a plan for my child care search (1.A.3.a & b)

I feel ready to begin my child care search (1.A.3.a & b)

Comments:

_____/ 6 Overall use of communication techniques

Spoke clearly, distinctly, in an understandable manner (1.A.2)

Specialist was reassuring and helped me feel at ease with the process (1.A.2.e)

Information collected was relevant to my child care search (1.A.3.a)

Specialist used statements that were encouraging and supportive (1.A.2.a)

Specialist managed the call in a time efficient way

The specialist was respectful of my knowledge, ideas, and feelings; this was evident by the tone of voice, rate of speech, and choice of words and reflective statements (1.A.2.e)

Comments:

_____/ 3 Flow of the call

The conversation was comfortably paced, with appropriate pauses (1.A.2)

I felt consistently engaged in the conversation. (1.A.2.a)

I was not placed on hold during the call (1.A.1.a)

If placed on hold, number and length of hold times:

Comments:

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_____/ 2 Optional

I presented a situation for which no care was available and the specialist engaged in creative problem solving (1.A.3.d)

OR Not Applicable

I was informed of the CCR&R complaint policy (1.A.2.f) (NOTE: If not discussed on call, it must be in the referral packet.)

Comments:

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Reply to Referral Request by Email: Appendix G

Reply #1 after you receive the initial request for a referral

Thank you for contacting Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R). I would be happy to provide you with a customized referral of child care options to meet your family’s needs. Our referral service is free and confidential.

I will need to gather some information from you. The intake process usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes. To get the process started, please call our referral line at XXX-XXX-XXXX Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00-4:30. If you would like, you can call my direct line at XXX-XXX-XXXX extension XXXX.

We understand that calling during our business hours is not always possible. If your schedule does not allow you to call, let me know and I will send you the information I need and you can return to me.

Thank you for contacting Child Care Resource & Referral. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Reply #2 after the parent contacts you for more information

Thank you for taking time to respond to my email. We pride ourselves on providing referrals that are specific to each family’s needs. If you answer the questions below to the best of your ability, we will be happy to prepare a referral for you. Any information you share is kept confidential and there is no cost to use our services.

Please tell me: 1. Parent’s name 2. Contact name (If you are not the parent, are you the child’s grandparent, guardian, foster parent, or other?) 3. Your phone number or other contact phone number. If it is not your number, whose is it? 4. Days of the week and hours needing care (Example: Mon-Fri 8AM-6PM) 5. What towns would you like me to search in? 6. What date do you need the care to start? 7. First name & date of birth for each child (If expecting, what is your due date?) 8. Are you currently receiving Child Care Assistance (CCA) through the state of Iowa? If no, would you like more information about Child Care Assistance? 9. Can we include both centers and homes on the referral? 10. Does your child have special needs? If so, which child? Please briefly explain. 11. Will you need transportation for your child to or from school, preschool or Head Start? If so, when and where? 12. Are you working, looking for work, a student or working and a student? 13. How many people live in your house? How many of those are adults? 14. How did you hear about our services?

Feel free to call or email your responses to me. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Once we hear back from you, we can email, mail or fax your referral to you. Keep in mind, the names we send are referrals only, not recommendations or suggestions.

We will include resources with your referral to help you make an informed decision concerning your child care. Included with the referrals is “A Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care”. This booklet contains

https://iowaccrr.org/resources/files/BGP/78%20ParentGuide.pdf

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information about different types of care in Iowa, things to look for in a quality program, and questions to ask child care providers. We encourage you to read it.

If you would rather look at our website (www.iowaccrr.org) to create a profile to just get a list, that is also an option, although less customized. If you choose to do this, we strongly suggest you take the time to read A Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care because it has valuable information about making an informed child care decision.

Thank you for contacting Child Care Resource & Referral. We look forward to hearing back from you soon. When you email the referral to the parent, include the Parent Referral Cover Letter – Emailed Referrals (Appendix H)




34



Parent Referral Cover Letter - Emailed Referrals: Appendix H (The letter content should remain as it is below, using your regional letterhead and telephone numbers.

You have the option to use it as a form letter or to personalize it. Date Parent Name Mailing Address City IA ZIP Dear Parent’s first name,

Thank you for contacting Child Care Resource and Referral. Choosing child care is one of the most

important decisions families make. Child care openings fill quickly, so call the programs as soon as you

can.

Please read the attached materials to help you with your search. It is a good idea to schedule an interview

with the providers to determine which program best meets your needs. Checking references for the people

you like is also a good way to determine which provider is best for you and your family. If you need more

child care options, you can search online at https://iowaccrr.org/families/ or call us at (INSERT YOUR

REGIONAL PHONE NUMBER) to talk to a referral specialist.

Review the online Choosing Quality Child Care booklet for information on what to look for in a quality program.

We are here to help you! As a reminder:

All CCR&R services are free

Your information is kept confidential

We can give you referrals for child care providers as well as resources to help you search, but we cannot recommend or suggest any provider over another

Providers self-report their program information to us

We cannot assure the quality of care a provider may give

Good luck on your search. Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you need more help. We hope you

are happy with the child care referral process. You will be sent a survey to review our services- please

respond to the survey at your earliest convenience. We use the information we receive from the surveys to

improve our services for families. If you have any questions or concerns, you can also contact the CCR&R

director by phone at (INSERT YOUR REGIONAL PHONE NUMBER).

Sincerely,

Specialist Name

Parent Services Specialist

(XXX) XXX-XXX or 800-XXX-XXXX

Contact email

https://iowaccrr.org/families/


35



Parent Intake: Appendix I

Each Regional Child Care Resource & Referral office has a specific intake form that their Parent Referral Specialists use to gather information from the parent/caller. This form aids in sending appropriate referrals that meet each parent’s specific needs. It also gathers demographic information CCR&R uses for reporting and advocacy purposes. ALL INFORMATION THE PARENT/CALLER SHARES IS KEPT CONFIDENTIAL. The information gathered correlates to the information on NACCRRAware. The form may look different in each region, but each one should have the following information:

Parent/Guardian Information:

Name

Zip

Address (physical & mailing)

County

City

Phone

State

Email

CCR&R staff needs the following information to make appropriate referrals and gather data for reports:

First name of each child needing care (may put unknown or unborn)

Is the child a male or female (may put unknown)

Birth date of each child needing the care (or anticipated delivery date if pregnant or adopting) Days, start time and end time when care is needed

Type of care preferred (check all that apply): Home Center Regulated Non-regulated Date child care is needed

Health or special needs concerns

Name of elementary school

Transportation needed

Currently qualifies for Child Care Assistance (choose no if they decline to answer) Yes _____ No _____

Ask for the following statistical information, but parents have the right to decline giving the answers. Staff uses it for statistics and to determine if the parent might qualify for other services.

Relationship to child

Employment status Employed, seeking employment, at home, student, student and employed.

Name of employer

Income category (give them the ranges from chart the parent income eligibility chart)

Family size

# adults in the household

How they heard about CCR&R services

Reason for seeking care

Homeless - when a person lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, for example: o Sharing the housing of other persons (sometimes known as couch surfing)

o Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, campgrounds, cars, parks, public spaces or abandoned buildings

o Other places that are temporary or not designed for regular sleeping accommodations for human beings

Newsletter Yes ____ No ____

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Use this section to take notes such as location they are looking for child care if different from their address, notes about transportation, etc.

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Caseworker Intake: Appendix J

Caseworker Information

Name Title/Program

Phone ( ) - Fax ( ) - Email

I want the referral: Mailed to parent/guardian Emailed to parent/guardian Emailed to me Faxed to me

Parent/Guardian Information

First name Last name

Street address City Zip County

Mailing address if different than above

Phone ( ) - Email

In what town(s) does the parent want to search for child care?

Does parent/guardian receive Child Care Assistance (CCA)? Yes No Don’t know

Do you want information about CCA? Yes No

Care is needed Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday If needing care on the weekend, are weekend hours the same as weekday hours? Yes No – weekend time needed is from AM PM to AM PM Earliest time child care is needed for the parent to get to work or class is AM PM Latest time the parent will pick up the child(ren) after work or class is AM PM Date when child care needs to begin

Children Information (use back if you need care for more than 4 children)

Child #1 First name Male Female Date of Birth / /



Child #4 First Name Male Female Date of Birth / /

Do any of these children have special needs or allergies? If so, what and which child?

Which Head Start, Early Head Start, preschool or school do the children attend?

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Type of Care

Parent/guardian would prefer that the child(ren) be in a (check all that apply)

Registered Child Development Home Child Care Home (non-registered) Center

Preschool School age

Need a provider who communicates using Spanish Sign Language English Other

Parent needs transportation for the child(ren) No Yes – Where?

Family Information (optional - for statistical purposes only)

Parent/guardian is Seeking Employment At Home Student Employed & Student

Employed at

How many people are in the family? Of these, how many are adults?

Parent/guardian is the child’s Father Mother Grandparent Guardian Foster Parent Other

Reason for seeking child care Expelled Work Related Current Care Closing New Child Relocation

Dissatisfied Training Child Needs Parent Needs Other

What other details would you like included with the child care referrals?

Does the parent need any other information or referrals for food assistance, clothing, heating, housing, medication,

etc.?

During a referral, parent specialists offer tips on what to ask and observe when looking for quality child care. You and the

parents can find this information on our website at www.iowaccrr.org in our “Families” section. We recommend that you give the

parent/guardian this information to use when visiting providers.

The information you share is kept confidential. We offer referrals not recommendations. CCR&R staff will send your

referrals within 24 business hours of receiving this form.

Funding for Child Care Resource & Referral is provided by Iowa Department of Human Services through the Child Care Development Fund


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Iowa CCR&R Structure and Contact Information: Appendix K

Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. Exceptional Persons, Inc. West Central Community Action 418 S Marion St 3675 University Ave., PO Box 4090 701 10th St, PO Box 709 Remsen, IA 51050 Waterloo, IA 50704 Harlan, IA 51537 712-786-2001 319-233-0804 712-755-7381 800-859-2025 800-475-0804 800-945-9778 Fax: 712-786-3250 Fax: 319-274-8841 Fax: 712-755-7827 Region 4 Region 5 Orchard Place Child Guidance Center Community Action of Eastern Iowa 805 5th Ave 500 E 59th St Des Moines, IA 50309 Davenport, IA 52807 515-246-3560 563-324-3236 800-722-7619 866-324-3236 Fax: 515-246-3570 Fax: 563-324-7736

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Parent Referral Satisfaction Survey: Appendix L

NOTE: Complete the name, address, city, state and zip before mailing so you know which NACCRRAware parent file to enter the documentation. Put the survey on your regional letterhead. You may add l questions to the baseline survey to address local needs.

We appreciate knowing how successful your child care search was. Please complete and return this survey in the postage-paid envelope. Your comments help us improve our services. 1. Decision Made:

Found care (Please complete the rest of the survey.) No decision made (Please skip to question #5)

Kept former care (Please skip to question #5) Did not find care (Please skip to question #5)

Decided not to use child care (Please skip to question #5)

Other, please explain

2. Type of care selected: Licensed child care center/preschool Registered Child Development Home Non-registered Child Care Home Other

3. I used the educational information provided by the Parent Specialist during the search. Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Disagree

4. How did you find your child care?

From the referral list From a friend, relative, or co-worker

From another child care provider From a newspaper ad

Other, please explain

5. Did you encounter any problems?

No Too expensive No openings

No transportation available Hours of operation Lack of quality

Did not take child care assistance Other

6. The referral list was accurate (for example, contact information, schedule)

Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Disagree

7. The referral specialist was polite and courteous.


8. The overall quality of the service was helpful.


9. Would you use this referral service again? Yes No If no, explain.

10. What suggestions do you have for improving our service? (feel free to use the back of this page for comments)

Funding provided by the Iowa Department of Human Services through the Child Care Development

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Parent Referral Cover Letter - Mailed Referrals: Appendix M (The letter content should remain as it is below, using your regional letterhead and telephone numbers.

You have the option to use it as a form letter or to personalize it. Date Parent Name Mailing Address City IA ZIP

Dear Parent’s first name, Thank you for contacting Child Care Resource and Referral. Choosing child care is one of the most important decisions

families make. Child care openings fill quickly, so call the programs as soon as you can.

Please read the enclosed materials to help you with your search. It is a good idea to schedule an interview with the

providers to determine which program(s) best meet your needs. Checking references for the people you like is also a good

way to determine which provider is best for you and your family. If you need more child care options, you can search online

at https://iowaccrr.org/families/ or call us at (INSERT YOUR REGIONAL PHONE NUMBER) to talk to a referral specialist.

We are here to help you! As a reminder:

All CCR&R services are free

Your information is kept confidential

We can give you referrals for child care providers as well as resources to help you search, but we

cannot recommend or suggest any provider over another

Providers self-report their program information to us

We cannot assure the quality of care a provider may give

Good luck on your search. Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you need more help. We hope you are happy with

the child care referral process. You will be sent a survey to review our services- please respond to the survey at your

earliest convenience. We use the information we receive from the surveys to improve our services for families. If you have

any questions or concerns, you can also contact the CCR&R director by phone at (INSERT YOUR REGIONAL PHONE

NUMBER).

Sincerely,

Specialist Name

Parent Services Specialist

(XXX) XXX-XXX or 800-XXX-XXXX

Contact email

https://iowaccrr.org/families/

41



SAMPLE Rate Sheets: Appendix N The charts on this page and the next are for demonstration purposes only.

The names and rates for your region will be different. Make your charts on your own region’s letterhead.

Family Child Care Rates by County (Averages based on a weekly rate of 45 hours. Some charge by the hour, day, or month. Providers self-report rates to CCR&R).

County Infant

(0-12mo) Toddler

(13-23mo) Two Year

Old Three Year

Old

Four & Five Year

Old

Before & After

School

Full Time School Age

County name 1 $120 $118 $115 $113 $112 $57 $107

County name 2 $121 $117 $116 $116 $116 $68 $115

County name 3 $118 $114 $112 $112 $111 $49 $111

County name 4 $122 $121 $116 $115 $113 $51 $108

County name 5 $122 $122 $114 $112 $112 $58 $105

County name 6 $112 $109 $109 $109 $105 $40 $108

County name 7 $133 $133 $133 $133 $133 $45 $133

County name 8 $114 $113 $112 $112 $109 $65 $110

County name 9 $140 $140 $139 $138 $138 $57 $137

County name 10 $127 $125 $122 $121 $120 $53 $117

County name 11 $111 $111 $111 $100 $100 $57 $100

County name 12 $111 $111 $108 $108 $106 $59 $103

County name 13 $131 $128 $124 $123 $120 $62 $118

County name 14 $117 $117 $106 $106 $106 $42 $94

County name 15 $116 $113 $111 $110 $106 $52 $99

Etc. $102 $101 $101 $101 $101 $53 $97

Average Child Care Center Rates Rates may be higher in urban areas and lower in rural areas. Full time rate is based on 45 hours per week.

Age Group Full Time Weekly

Infant 0-12 Months $139.07

Toddler 13-23 Months $138.14

2 Years $127.79

3 Years $121.95

4 or 5 Years and ½ Day Kindergartners $119.89

Before and After School $ 43.06

Full Time/Summer School-age $108.03

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XXXX County’s Average Child Care Rates Child Care Resource & Referral of Iowa Includes rates updated between X/20XX-X/20XX

The information below lists the average weekly cost of child care in XXXX County. Providers may charge

differently than by the week. For more detailed information for XXXX County, contact your Parent Services

Specialist. These figures are for one child only. If you need assistance to pay for child care, call your local

DHS County office or go to http://dhs.iowa.gov/child-care. You can also talk with Child Care Resource &

Referral staff about financial assistance for child care

Child Care or Child Development Homes (Daytime Rates) (Full time price is based on 45 hours per week)

Weekly Full Time Price Minimum Maximum Average

Infants (0-12 Months) $75.00 $250.00 $136.55

Toddlers (13-23 Months) $75.00 $215.00 $134.83

2 Year Olds $75.00 $200.00 $132.28

3 Year Olds $71.90 $200.00 $129.23

4 & 5 Year Olds $71.90 $200.00 $126.97

Before and After School $25.00 $160.00 $65.44

Full Time School-age $65.00 $200.00 $112.11

Child Care Centers (Full time price is based on 45 hours per

Weekly Full Time Price Minimum Maximum Average

Infants (0-12 Months) $158.10 $295.00 $202.41

Toddlers (13-23 Months) $155.00 $295.00 $200.54

2 Year Olds $125.00 $251.25 $178.63

3 Year Olds $125.00 $226.25 $164.61

4 & 5 Year Olds $93.00 $226.25 $160.23

Before and After School $56.25 $125.00 $85.92

Full Time School-age $75.00 $175.00 $134.12

http://dhs.iowa.gov/child-care

43



Background Check Information: Appendix O

The following tells what record checks are done and how you can find more information.

Licensed Center – DHS does an Iowa Abuse Registry record check, a Sex Offender Registry check and a criminal history check on all licensed center staff sixteen or older that have contact with a child. Those over eighteen years of age have been fingerprinted. DHS reviews abuse records, criminal history and Iowa Sex Offender Registry every two years. DHS does a national fingerprint background check every four years.

Child Development Home – DHS does an Iowa Abuse Registry record check, an Iowa Sex Offender Registry check and a criminal history check on everyone fourteen years or older that lives or works in the house. Those over eighteen years have been fingerprinted. DHS reviews abuse records, criminal history and Iowa sex offender registry every two years. They do a national fingerprint background check every four years.

Child Care Home Approved for Child Care Assistance - DHS does an Iowa Abuse Registry record check and a criminal history check on everyone fourteen years or older that lives in the house. Those over eighteen years have been fingerprinted. DHS reviews abuse records, criminal history and Iowa sex offender registry every two years. They do a national fingerprint background check every four years.

Child Care Home that CCR&R refers - The Iowa Department of Human Services completes an Iowa child abuse history check on all child care providers that CCR&R refers to parents. They only do the check on the provider and only for Iowa. They check this history every two years at the request of CCR&R.

Parents can do their own check on Child Care Homes that are not approved to accept Child Care Assistance payments by doing any or all of the following:

Criminal History Check - Information is available on anyone living in Iowa by visiting the Iowa Judicial Branch Web Site at www.iowacourts.state.ia.us. Parents can access activity in civil, criminal, probate, traffic and appellate courts by county or state. Knowing a person’s birth date will expedite the search.

Child Abuse History Check - To check an individual’s child abuse history, parents need to contact the Central Abuse Registry at 515-281-5653 and complete the Iowa Department of Human Services “Request for Child Abuse Information” form number 470-0643. This form requires legal names, birth date, social security number, maiden name, previous married name or any alias, and a signature from the person the parent is checking. A processing fee may apply.

Iowa Sex Offender Registry - http://www.iowasexoffenders.com/

More details are on the Iowa DHS website at https://dhs.iowa.gov/childcare/provider-record-checks.

Parents can review online compliance and complaint reports of Centers and Child Development Homes at https://secureapp.dhs.state.ia.us/dhs_titan_public/ChildCare/ComplianceReport.

24 Hour Child Abuse Reporting Hotline: 1-800-362-2178 If you find errors, omissions or clarifications that need edited or added to this guide, use the form below to keep track of them. Discuss these when the Parent Referral Specialist team does the next revision.

http://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/

http://www.iowasexoffenders.com/

https://dhs.iowa.gov/childcare/provider-record-checks

https://secureapp.dhs.state.ia.us/dhs_titan_public/ChildCare/ComplianceReport

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Notes for Additions and Corrections

Page # Paragraph # Correction to be made Rationale

Documents

Parent Services Statewide User Guide - Iowa CCR&R Parent Services...Parent Services Specialist Core Job Description: ... Professional Development Planning - Sample: ... report.) Your