RESOURCE and REFERRAL Infomrmation

Child Care Resource & Referral
Child Care Resource & Referral is funded through the State Department of Education, Child Development Division. In California, every county is covered by a Child Care Resource & Referral agency to provide child care referrals and information to families, free of charge, regardless of income. Child Development Resources administers this program for Ventura County.

Public Referrals
CDR provides childcare referrals to any person requesting information about child care options including Center-Based, Family Child Care Homes and In-Home Care. Referral searches are based on requested location(s), age of child(ren), time and days of care needed, as well as special accommodations.

Consumer Education
Information on choosing child care is available. Information includes brochures on what to look for when selecting a provider and interview questions. CDR offers resources and linkage to other community agencies and services within the community particularly those that serve children and families. Brochures on a variety of children’s issues are available.

Provider Training and Technical Assistance
Child Development Resources (CDR) offers training and technical assistance for child care and development professionals. Services are available in English and Spanish. Educational workshops are held throughout the year. CDR workshops focus on child care issues, activities to incorporate in child care programs, business practices, and personal enrichment. Please see our 2000 Workshops and Events Calendar for upcoming workshops.

CDR provides technical assistance for newly and previously licensed family child care providers. We make available information and materials to aid in enhancing quality child care and development programs. Also, ongoing support is offered to all child care professionals. For more information.

Providers in Ventura County are eligible to enroll on the referral database, free of charge.

• Licensed family child care providers
• Licensed child care & development centers

Licensed exempt drop-in recreation programs

Child Care Initiative Project
California Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) is a grant to enhance the quality and increase the supply of child care in home setting throughout Ventura County. The project focuses on recruiting and training newly licensed family child care providers who will care for infants and toddlers. The project also focuses on training experienced licensed family child care providers. Services are offered in English and Spanish.

Resource & Toy Lending Library Programs
Child Development Resources (CDR) offers a Resource and Toy Lending Library for licensed family child care providers, child care centers staff, instructors, and students. Membership is free. The library is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and on the 1st Thursday of every month from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Members may check out up to ten items for up to one month. Books, publications, professional videos, and children’s materials and equipment are available.

The Resource and Toy Lending Library also has a van that visits communities throughout Ventura County. Please contact CDR for more information. (805)485-7878 ext. 450

TrustLine
TrustLine is the California registry of in-home child care providers who have passed a background screening. Al caregivers listed with TrustLine have been cleared through a fingerprint check of records at the California Department of Justice. This mean they have no disqualifying criminal convictions or substantiated child abuse reports in California. CDR processes TrustLine applications for Ventura County.

Children’s Waiting Rooms
The Children’s Waiting Rooms are a drop-in childcare service for parents/guardians conducting business at one of the seven Job and Career Centers, operated by the County of Ventura-Human Service Agency, located throughout Ventura County. The Children’s Waiting rooms are set up to provide short-term, temporary care for children age six weeks to twelve years. Operating hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. These rooms are exempt from the State of California Licensing Regulations for childcare centers. Each Children’s Waiting Room has one full-time staff person with a background in child development.

Subsidized Child Care Programs
CDR administers a variety of subsidized program designed to help low-income and working parents pay for or subsidize the child care cost of qualifying families. Each subsidized program has specific requirements, indicated in the program’s Funding Terms and Conditions. The requirements ensure parents maximum choice in the election of care for their children. Staff partner with parents in determining their eligibility status and the appropriate placement for their children.

Alternative Payment Programs – Federally Funded
Funded by the State Department of Education, Child Development Division pays for child care costs for parents who meet eligibility guidelines and live and/or work in California. Children are eligible up to the age of 13 except children who are physically or mentally incapable of caring for themselves or under court supervision to age 18.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Child Protective Service
• Parent(s) is employed, seeking employment or in a job training program
• Other parent is incapacitated and unable to provide normal care
• Family is income eligible

General Alternative Payment Program – State Funded
Funded by the State Department of Education, Child Development Division, pays for child care cost for parents who meet eligibility guidelines and live and/or work in California. Children are eligible up to the age of 14 except children with exceptional needs to age 21.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Family is a public assistance recipient
• Family is income eligible, employed, seeking employment or in a job training program.
• Homeless
• Child protective Service.

CalWORKs Stage I Child Care – County of Ventura
Funded by the County of Ventura, the Stage I child care program pays for the child care cost of families who are determined eligible by the County CalWORKs Department. There is a CDR Child Care Outreach Specialist at each of the seven County Job and Career Centers available to assist family in choosing child care and enrolling in CalWORKs child care.

Eligibility Criteria:

• TANF recipients receiving cash assistance
• Must be in an approved work and/or training activity.
• When the County determines the family situation is stable, the family is transferred to a Stage 2 child care program.

Alternative Payment Stage 2 – General Funds
Funded by the State Department of Education, Child Development Division. The Stage 2 AP Program pays the child care costs of families when the County CalWORKs Department determines that the family’s work or approved work –readiness activity is stable, or the family is transitioning off of CalWORKs cash assistance. Children remain eligible up to age 14 except children with exceptional needs to age 21.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Current and/or former TANF recipient
• Family remains eligible for up to 24 months after family is no longer receiving or eligibly to receive TANF assistance.
• Family is income eligible.

Alternative Payment Stage 3 – Federal Funded
Funded by the State Department of Education, Child Development Division. Stage 3 child care pays the child care costs of families if the parent is a former TANF recipient who have used their Stage 2, 24 months of child care are eligible for Stage 3 child care. Children remain eligible to the age of 13 except children who are physically or mentally incapable of caring for themselves to age 18.

Eligibility Criteria:

• CalWORKs recipient in a work activity
• CalWORKs recipient receiving a lump sum diversion payment
• Former CalWORKs recipient in a work activity
• Family is income eligible
• There are no time limit restrictions

Infant/Toddler Program (ITP) – State Funded
Funded by the State Department of Education, Child Development Division. This is a new and exciting collaboration between two key players in Ventura County early childhood community, CDR and Great Pacific Child Development Center, Inc. This program is specially designed 107 infants and toddlers between the ages of birth to three years. The focus of the Infant and Toddler Program is to improve the quality of care for babies, their families and their family child care provider.

Project partners: CDR will recruit and certify parent eligibility, pay providers for child care services two times each month, and CDR’s HeadStart program will provide social services to eligible families. Great Pacific Child Development Center, Inc., will recruit, train and monitor the overall quality of family child care providers offering services to ITP children. Families who agree to participate.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Parents who choose to participate must agree to choose a family child care provider who is contracted with Great Pacific Family Care Contract Network.
• Must be working, seeking employment, training, parental incapacity, child disability, child protective services or homeless seeking permanent housing status
• Agree to participate in parent education series and parent advisory committee activities
• Children are no longer eligible for the program once they reach their third (3) birthday. CDR will make every effort to move families into programs for which they are eligible but cannot guarantee a transfer to another subsidized program.

Subsidized Child Care Program Fees
In all of CDR’s Alternative Payment Programs including CalWORKs, families may be subject to fees as determined by the State Department of Education Family Fee Schedule. The family fee is waived for families referred for child protective services.

Provider payments are limited to 1.5 standard deviations of the current Regional Market Rate Survey for cities within Ventura County. The parent must pay the difference between the provider fee and the maximum subsidy directly to the provider.

Waiting List for Subsidized Child Care Programs
Child Development Resources of Ventura County, Inc, maintains a current waiting list in accordance with admission priorities. All information on the Waiting List Questionnaire is kept in the highest confidence guaranteed by the Welfare and Institution code. The information on the questionnaire is essential to determining eligibility for our programs and in assigning a priority status on the waiting list. The priority status is based on family size and income. Parents are notified of their status on the waiting list.

Parents will be notified by mail or telephone when space becomes available in one of the Alternative Payment Programs. Keep in mind, being placed on the waiting list does not guarantee placement into one of the subsidized child care program. Child Development Resources advises families to request a new Waiting List Questionnaire if there are nay changes to the following: family income, family size, address, or phone number.