Family Resources & Child Care Education

Family Resources and Child Care Education (FRCCE) at Red Rocks Community College, has existed for more than twenty years, providing training and support to child care providers, building child care capacity, and developing programs to enhance quality. The agency continues to manage diverse funding provided by state, federal, county, private contracts, and tuition and fees. As a contracted partner of the Colorado Office of Resource and Referral Agencies (CORRA), FRCCE operates the Metro Denver Child Care Resource and Referral Partners, serving the counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties as well as the Mountain Community Referrals, serving Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Park counties. Core Child Care Resource and Referral Services include:

1. Helping parents find child care-
   We help parents take the guesswork out of choosing care by giving them referrals to local child care providers, information on state licensing requirements, availability of child care subsides and other pertinent information. We provide guidance by phone, in person, fax, mail and Internet.
2. Supporting families to raise healthy children-
   Through workshops, hot lines and newsletters, we reach out to parents with trusted, local information that enables them to make informed choices about all aspects of care for their children.
3. Building the supply of child care-
   We provide an entry point to the child care field, helping providers meet licensing requirements and become informed on health and safety, business practices and child development. We also work with local and state governments and the private sector to leverage resources for building and maintaining the supply of quality child care.
4. Improving the quality of child care-
   We provide ongoing professional development opportunities to child care providers and staff. By supporting accreditation and credentialing programs, helping create financial incentives for education, and advocating for better compensation for providers, we improve the quality of care for all children.
5. Bridging child care and education-
   We strive to create child care settings that help children grow and learn. Educating parents about early learning and the components of quality care is a major part of our services.
6. Documenting child care needs and trends-
   We are the primary source of information about the local supply and cost of child care. With our comprehensive, well-maintained database, we are able to track trends about the changing needs of families.
7. Engaging new partners-
   By reaching out to business leaders, law enforcement, school teachers and others, we help make child care an issue the entire community care about. We collaborate with other family support services to promote a holistic vision of child care that includes health, literacy and special needs.
8. Telling the child care story-
   By providing resources, documenting community needs, and creating new ways to meet those needs, we bring the voices of children, families and child care providers to the public.
9. How to install siding-
   Learn from our siding experts and read reviews about different siding materials.

Program Highlights

Child Care Referrals: Families may receive free referrals of licensed centers and family child care homes. Using a comprehensive database of over 3,000 facilities, Referral Specialist can provide consumer education and referrals tailored to meet individual family needs. Referrals may be obtained by calling 303 381-2990 or via the Internet at www.frcce.org or www.corra.org. Through this service, FRCCE serves an annual average of 4,000 families

Coordinated Alliance of Resource Exchange Services (CARES): Because FRCCE believes in the inherent right of all children to reach their fullest potential, this program provides support to families and early childhood professionals caring for children who have special needs. A dedicated staff position, the CARES Liaison, is available to provide enhanced child care services, connect families with supportive community services, and broker on site services to early childhood professionals to assist in meeting the care needs of the individual child. The CARES Liaison works with the family until care is found or resources are exhausted. CARES provides on site and technical assistance by phone, with an average of 25 receiving on site Resource Visits by a mental health professional to address the needs of children exhibiting emotional or behavioral concerns.

Early Intervention Opportunities (EIO): FRCCE coordinates multi-agency family staffings for Jefferson County families of children 0-3 years of age. Each month human service providers gather to meet with participating families to help improve access to services, brainstorm solutions to concerns, and provide a family friendly approach that builds on the strength of families. Annual averages of 25 families are served by EIO.

Professional Development: FRCCE provides a variety of workshops, seminars, conferences, and other educational opportunities. FRCCE offers a "one stop shop" for meeting child care licensing training requirements including pre-licensing, medication administration, universal precautions, First Aid/CPR, and ongoing training related to the Colorado Core Knowledge content areas. Each year over 1,000 early childhood professionals have taken advantage of professional development opportunities conducted or sponsored by FRCCE. In addition, FRCCE operates a Child Care Apprenticeship Program, where participants receive college credit training, on site support, complete a Colorado Professional Credential, and receive from the U.S. Department of Labor, a designation as Child Development Specialist. Participants also receive a student support package to assist with the cost of transportation, books, child care, and related expenses. Currently 28 early childhood programs are participating, with 1,000 credit hours being completed by Apprentices.

Grants: Based on local county initiatives, FRCCE manages a variety of programs to provide grants for start up of family child care homes, quality improvement, and creating inclusive environments.

Colorado Family Education, Resources, and Training (CFERT): This project is a collaborative between FRCCE and Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Services include a specialized training, Supporting Kids in Learning Life-Long Skills (SKILLS), Partners in Parenting training, parent training, technical assistance, speaker's bureau, newsletters and tip sheets, and the Parenting Information Clearinghouse & Resource Center.

Triad Consolidated Child Care Pilot: FRCCE serves as fiscal agent and coordinates activities for the pilot serving the counties of Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin. The Colorado General Assembly established the Consolidated Child Care Pilots in 1997. The program was designed to help meet the need for full-day, full-year, quality early childhood services as a partner to welfare reform. The pilot program recognizes the importance of quality, comprehensive services for low-income children and their working families to support success in school and throughout their lives. Eighteen pilot communities have been designated and asked to:

1. Consolidate funding sources to create a seamless system
2. Ensure collaboration among public and private stakeholders in the delivery of early childhood care and education services
3. Include program components consistent with quality
4. Be responsive to the needs of working parents

Home | For Providers | For Families | For Communities
Contact Us | Find Child Care (Denver) | Service Area | Useful Links