Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN)
The Office of Child Care (OCC) administers the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program, a multibillion-dollar Federal and State partnership to support access to high-quality child care for working families. OCC helps States, Territories, and Tribes administer their CCDF programs through program support, policy guidance, technical assistance (TA), and research. The following Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) Partners are providing TA to improve the quality of early care and education (ECE) and school-age care and are helping the States, Territories, and Tribes reach their CCDF plan goals.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) promotes the social-emotional development and school readiness of young children from birth to age 5. CSEFEL serves as a national resource center to disseminate research findings and evidence-based practices to early childhood (EC) programs across the country and develops user-friendly materials to help EC educators meet the needs of the growing number of young children with challenging behaviors and mental health needs.
Phone: (615) 322-8150 or (866) 433-1966, E-mail: csefel@vanderbilt.edu,
Web site: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel
Grantee: Vanderbilt University (by cooperative agreement from OCC and the Office of Head Start [OHS]), Project Director: Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D.
Child Care & Early Education Research Connections
Child Care & Early Education Research Connections (RC) promotes high-quality research in child care and early education and the use of research findings in policymaking. This easy-to-use Web site offers a free, comprehensive, and up-to-date collection of scholarly research, policy briefs, government reports, data, and instruments from a wide range of disciplines and sources. Interactive tools allow users to refine searches, download full text documents, build customized tables, and analyze research data on line. RC also compiles bibliographies, develops issue briefs, synthesizes research on key topics, andhosts data-training workshops.Phone: (646) 284-9600, E-mail: contact@researchconnections.org
Web site: http://www.childcareresearch.org/
Grantee: National Center for Children in Poverty, Project Director: J. Lee Kreader, Ph.D.
Child Care Communications Management Center
The Child Care Communications Management Center (CMC) coordinates logistical and communication services on behalf of OCC. CMC provides onsite TA delivery at OCC Central Office and Regional Office meetings and events, such as the annual State and Territory Administrators Meeting and Annual Meeting of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium, and provides ongoing support for the development and distribution of OCC TA tools and materials, including interactive CD-ROMs, reports, and brochures. Additionally, CMC
assists with the planning and coordination of TA delivery by OCC RPMs, State systems specialists, and other CCTAN Partners via Web-based technology, audioconference calls, exhibits, videoconferences, and onsite training and TA support.
Phone: (240) 399-8725, E-mail: occinfo@occ-cmc.org,
Web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/ta/conf/index.htm
Contractor: BLH Technologies, Inc., Project Director: Rose Salton
Child Care State Systems Specialist Network
The Child Care State Systems Specialist Network will deliver expert consultation, TA support, and informational products to support Administration for Children and Families’ priorities and State and Territory goals. These experts will work collaboratively with the 10 OCC Regional Program Managers (RPM) and State and Territory CCDF lead agencies to develop customized TA plans that will help grantees reach CCDF plan goals and will meet Federal reporting and accountability requirements. They will provide TA support and informational products to CCDF lead agencies via collaborative cross-system work with the OCC centers as well as ECE and school-age partners, including programs administered by Early Head Start, OHS, and the
U.S. Department of Education.
Phone: (703) 225-2250, E-mail: TBD, Web site: TBD
Contractor: ICF International, Inc., Project Director: Rose Ribeiro
The Healthy Child Care America (HCCA) program is coordinated by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Early Education and Child Care Initiatives and is funded by an intra-agency agreement with OCC and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As a collaborative effort of health professionals and child care providers working to improve the health and safety of children in child care, the HCCA program provides the information and support necessary to increase children’s access to health services and safe, nurturing, out-of-home ECE settings. HCCA also strives to increase pediatricians’ participation and effectiveness in supporting high-quality child care and in promoting children’s health and well-being.
Phone: (888) 227-5409, E-mail: childcare@aap.org, Web site: http://www.healthychildcare.org/
Grantee: American Academy of Pediatrics, Project Director: Jeanne VanOrsdal
National Center on Child Care Data and Technology
The National Center on Child Care Data and Technology supports State, Territory, and Tribal CCDF grantees in collecting, managing, analyzing, and reporting child care administrative data. The Center’s TA efforts are available to help build or enhance grantees’ capacity to improve the quality of administrative data and are provided through a toll-free help line; trainings at national conferences and Regional Office events; customized, onsite TA activities; and specialized data tools.
Phone: (877) 249-9117, E-mail: ncdt@childcaredata.org, Web site: TBD
Contractor: General Dynamics Information Technology, Project Director: Helen Papadopoulos
National Center on Child Care Professional Development Systems and Workforce Initiatives
The National Center on Child Care Professional Development Systems and Workforce Initiatives will build State capacity to produce qualified child care professionals across age ranges, program settings, as well as the EC and school-age sectors. All TA activities will be integrated into a TA plan customized for each CCDF lead agency based on its plan goals and in partnership with all CCTAN Partner projects. OHS is a co-funder and serves as a key partner. In addition, the Center will convene a national consortium to assess and establish equivalencies and to promote the reciprocity of EC education credentials across States and Territories.Contractor: ZERO TO THREE, Project Director: Sarah LeMoine
National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement
The National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement delivers TA to support State and Territory CCDF grantees in their efforts to develop and enhance quality improvement efforts, including quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), which are built on a foundation of strengthening licensing and health and safety standards. Expert staff members work with CCDF grantees to help them reach their State and Territory plan quality goals. They will also identify and share research-based promising practices and will work with CCTAN Partner staff and OHS personnel to address EC-related cross-sector system issues and to identify knowledge gaps and leading-edge questions.
Phone: (703) 225-2296, E-mail: TBD, Web site: TBD
Contractor: ICF International, Inc., Project Director: Julie Shuell
National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability
The National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability provides technical support to CCDF lead agencies to help focus their efforts on subsidy administration and strong accountability practices in a manner that supports providing quality child care services. The Center will promote continued progress toward innovation and improvement in child care subsidy systems and other CCDF-supported programs.Phone: (301) 881-2590, x273; E-mail: ncccsia@wrma.com;
Web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/ccdf/ipi.htm
Contractor: Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc., Project Director: Carol Pearson, Ph.D.
National Center on Tribal Child Care Implementation and Innovation
The National Center on Tribal Child Care Implementation and Innovation supports Tribal communities in their efforts to coordinate EC and school-age care delivery by promoting improvements in child care delivery systems. Targeted TA services support more than 539 federally recognized Tribes, either directly or through Tribal consortia. These TA activities include a peer learning and leadership network, a biannual national conference, an annual Tribal CCDF administrators training event, Regional TA events, specialized trainings, consultations with program administrators, and the promotion of Tribal-State collaboration and linkages between States, Tribes, and local EC and school-age care education programs. Distance-learning technologies, including webinars, and a toll-free information and referral line will enhance TA support options.
Phone: (800) 388-7670, E-mail: ntc@cditeam.org, Web site: TBD
Contractor: Community Development Institute, Project Manager: Linda Kills Crow
For additional information on the Office of Child Care's Child Care Technical Assistance Network, Contact OCC.
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