Child Care for the Working Poor I. TOPIC The Children's Center II. LOCATION Central New York III. SUBJECT Child Care for the Working Poor IV. SUMMARY A lack of center-based child care in Chenango County, New York, was having an adverse impact on both parents who wanted to work and employers seeking to fill vacancies. In 1986-1987, several different segments of the community joined together to initiate planning for a licensed child care facility. Partners in the project include Opportunities for Chenango, Inc. (OFC), the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the City of Norwich, the New York State Department of Social Services, local businesses, and volunteers. The business community raised $300,000 for construction costs, the city donated land in downtown Norwich, and OFC, a Community Action Agency serving Chenango County in central New York, agreed to operate the center. The state legislature and the state Department of Social Services provided crucial support in 1989 when they awarded OFC start-up grants of $20,000 and $108,000, respectively. The Chamber of Commerce Foundation pledged approximately $50,000 per year in operational support. The Children's Center, which opened in 1991, currently serves 113 children ranging in age from 18 months to school-aged children who attend an after school program. V. SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE Built a coalition of private, public, for profit, and nonprofit organizations to create a child care facility in an area that was suffering from under-employment due to the unavailability of child care. VI. CONTACT Beverly Glen, Executive Director Jack Salo, Director of Planning and Development Bonnie Babbit, Project Director Opportunities for Chenango, Inc. (A Community Action Agency) 44 West Main Street P.O. Box 470 Norwich, New York 13815-0470 607-334-7114 607-336-6958 (FAX) VII. CASE STUDY The Problem: In 1986, the business community and other concerned citizens identified the lack of affordable child care as a problem for parents and businesses in Chenango County, a rural county in central New York. Because there was insufficient quality, licensed child care, parents who wanted to work often could not enter the work force, and businesses with vacancies to fill had difficulty attracting candidates with pre-school-aged children. In 1987, Opportunities For Chenango, Inc. (OFC), a Community Action Agency serving Chenango County, established the Child Care Resource and Referral Service (CCRRS) to help parents find child care. Later in 1987, CCRRS evolved into an economic development project to assist day care providers obtain licenses. However, the need for a dramatic increase in the availability of quality, affordable child care remained. The Approach Adopted: In the fall of 1989, one year after the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce sponsored a breakfast forum on child care, participants decided to establish a centralized child care facility. The Chenango County Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the City of Norwich, and Opportunities For Chenango forged a partnership to carry out the initiative. How They Implemented The Approach: OFC agreed to operate the facility; the Chamber of Commerce Foundation committed to raising funds for the building and pledged $50,000 per year in operational support, and the City of Norwich donated land in downtown Norwich for construction. The New York State legislature approved a $20,000 grant in 1989 to help pay start-up costs for the Children's Center. The New York State Department of Social Services added another $108,000 in start-up funds. The project partners set a course to open the Children's Center in 1991. OFC's Board of Directors established two conditions to OFC's agreement to operate the Center: (1) the Children's Center must be community based open and affordable to children from families in all socioeconomic groups; and (2) the Children's Center must be financially sound the project must not adversely affect OFC finances and must be a self-supporting program. In 1990, Proctor and Gamble Pharmaceuticals (a major local employer) presented a fundraising challenge to the business community at a business recognition dinner. Local businesses and individuals responded by donating almost $600,000 for construction and operating costs. The Children's Center opened in May 1991 with three day care rooms. By March 1992, all five of the Center's classrooms were in use. In 1992, as part of its ongoing self-evaluation to ensure financial security, OFC's Board of Directors established an ad hoc Children's Center Challenge Committee. The Committee identified several important strategies to improve the Children's Center's delivery of services and financial position. Strategies included better integration of compatible programs, the difficult decision to discontinue infant care, and better utilization of volunteer, student, and job trainee resources. The Challenge Committee's recommendations helped stabilize the Children's Center, and, in the summer of 1993, the Center was ready to expand. OFC established a partnership with the New York Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) that allowed the Center to begin offering summer care to school-aged children and a pre-school program. In September 1993, OFC used Head Start expansion funds to integrate its Head Start program with the Children's Center's activities. In November 1993, the Center began making barter arrangements with parents suffering from tough economic times. In exchange for reduced-cost child care, parents donated clerical support, desktop publishing services, and staff training. In 1994, the Center built a playground with help from the Norwich Rotary Club and set up a picnic area on its grounds. Results: The Children's Center currently provides day care and after school services for 113 children. As of July 1995, approximately 90 families send their children to the Children's Center, thus enabling parents to work or attend school or job training classes assured that their children are receiving quality, developmental care. These parents are employed in more than 40 local businesses, which benefit from the Children's Center's services because of a larger job applicant pool and reduced absenteeism among employees. The Children's Center currently has seven full time and 14 part time employees. In July 1995, volunteers, job trainees, and student interns contributed 811 hours of service. VIII. KEY WORDS After Care BOCES Child Care Coalitions Community Action Agency Economic Development Head Start Jobs Partnerships Volunteers ref: childcen.L4doc