Child Care Resource & Referral of Central Iowa

Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) of Central Iowa is not a clinical program, but a health promotion/prevention service. CCR&R provides a variety of services and support for parents, child care providers, employers and community groups working with children and teens with mental health disorders.

Services for Parents:

  • Information and consultation on how to choose quality child care including programs that are accredited or have achieved a rating in the Iowa Quality Rating System (QRS), Iowa's standard for quality child care
  • Free and confidential referrals to available child care options that meet the family's individual needs
  • Information on child care, child development, and early childhood education
  • Information about child care assistance and other family support options

Services for Child Care Programs:

  • Assistance for child care providers to obtain a child care center license or Child Development Home registration
  • Consultation and technical assistance focused on a quality improvement process with the goal of achieving or improving a program's rating in the QRS
  • Education and training to support professional growth
  • Referral of families needing child care services
  • Information about child care assistance and other family support options
  • Business and financial resources

Services for Employers:

  • Enhanced employee referral programs
  • Information about child care availability and cost factors
  • Onsite education services

Services for the Community:

  • Data on family needs, available services and gaps in the system
  • Coordination of statewide child care programs and resources
  • Information on child development, early childhood education, quality child care and related professional organizations

Effective July 1, 2004, the Child Guidance Center entered into a contract with the Iowa Department of Human Services to provide CCR&R services for the following Central Iowa counties: Adair, Appanoose, Boone, Clarke, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Hardin, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Polk, Poweshiek, Story Wapello, Warren and Wayne.