The Network builds the supply and improves the quality of licensed child care in California through a long term public-private child care partnership. Since 1985, the Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) has worked through local resource and referral agencies to recruit, train, and retain licensed family child care providers.

The California Exempt Care Training project (CECT), also known as Growing, Learning, Caring (GLC), started in 2005.  This new project builds upon the success of CCIP and expands outreach, training and support to all license-exempt, home-based providers (also referred to as family, friends and neighbors).

CCIP and CECT/GLC grants allow the local R&Rs to improve the training capacity of their staff, enhance their professional development, and extend their knowledge of early childhood education practices and principles. This professional development of the staff and infrastructure of the local R&Rs ultimately allows for each project to develop a community of excellent quality child care providers.

CCIP and CECT/GLC in every county are funded by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division. In addition, the Network and local R&Rs raised more than $1,000,000 in local public and private matching funds in order to access $250,000 of additional state matching funds for 17 of the 61 CCIP sites. 

In 2007-2008, R&Rs recruited over 1,400 new licensed family child care providers. More than 2,200 licensed family child care providers, including more than 1,000 Spanish speakers, attended CCIP trainings. These efforts created more than 5,500 new licensed family child care slots statewide. Over 5,200 license-exempt providers attended CECT/GLC trainings provided by R&Rs in 2007-2008, for a total of 8,431 hours of training.

The Network provided statewide interactive, hands-on training of trainers in English and Spanish, including El Comienzo and Cuatro Pasos a Una Profesión. The Network collaborated with the Center for Research on Women and Families and First 5 Association to disseminate information regarding nutrition curricula and resources via a panel presentation at the annual conference and a webinar for CCIP and R&R staff. The Network also assisted with the pilot of the Eco-Healthy Child Care Program in California, serving as members of the National Advisory Committee, and the Cultural Competency Sub-Committee.

In November 2007, the Network provided an overview of the license-exempt provider training model in a nationwide webinar hosted by the National Women's Law Center.  The model and approach attracted inquiry, interest and praise from other states as an exemplary statewide model that establishes a continuum of training and support for home-based child care providers. 

The CCIP model has been replicated in Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon. The Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network in Tacoma and Child Care Resources in Seattle have decided to use the training modules that the Network developed for the CECT/GLC project as the curriculum for their incipient Family, Friend & Neighbor Program.

Two of our newest resources and materials feature information, practical tips and activities that local R&Rs can incorporate into their trainings and technical assistance:

Caring for Babies and Toddlers: Helpful Hints and Tips, a CECT publication, was adapted from the Network's Look Again CCIP publication to meet the needs of license-exempt providers.  The publication primarily focuses on child development for children birth to 36 months.  The Hints and Tips sections were translated into Spanish.

Workshop: Character Education is a training guide that provides an overview of twelve guiding principles that influence the way one sees one's self and interacts with others and their environment.  It explores practical strategies for building on children's positive dispositions and urges participants to reflect on their family, cultural, and personal values and strengths. The workshop is intended for people who provide care for children and was developed to supplement one of four training modules for license-exempt child care providers. Portions were translated into Spanish.

In 2008, the Network collaborated with Save the Children and NACCRA to develop disaster preparedness and response trainings for child care providers and R&R agencies.

In 2009, the CCIP/CECT trainings will include Eco-Healthy Child Care program developed by the Oregon Environmental Council. This helps providers ensure that their child care settings are as environmentally healthy as possible by reducing a child's exposure to toxics and other environmental health hazards.