Partnership Development Resources - Welfare to Work Vouchers

Developing childcare partnerships

In most communities, many programs and resources already exist. Housing authorities need to build strong relationships with childcare providers and other service providers, as these organizations likely have the experience and knowledge to provide immediate assistance. For more information on forming successful partnerships, visit the Partnership Development page on this site. For information specific to forming and sustaining childcare partnerships, visit the Childcare Partnership Project's Guide to Successful Public-Private Partnerships for Childcare. Following are some tips from the Childcare Partnership Project guide.

• Contact Your Local Childcare Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Agency. The exact functions of CCR&R agencies vary, but most provide parents with information and maintain a database of childcare providers. In addition, many CCR&Rs help address broader childcare concerns in their communities, such as quality and funding issues. Others recruit and train providers and work closely with local employers to implement and evaluate family friendly workplace policies. To find a CCR&R in your community, visit the National Association of Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies Web site.
  
  
• Develop Partnerships with Social Service Agencies. Local TANF administrators and Department of Labor One-Stop centers can offer childcare program expertise, provide links to financial resources, and represent a potential source of financial assistance for childcare solutions. They are also likely to know about other community childcare solutions and innovations.
  
  
• Develop Partnerships with the Business Community. In many communities, local businesses - particularly large employers - play an important role in providing childcare solutions. If your program participants will be training with or working for a business that provides childcare for employees, work with these businesses to extend services to program participants. Consider working with these businesses to provide childcare to other program participants who either work or live near their facility, if possible. See our Partnership Development page for more information on working effectively with the business community. In addition, view the Department of Labor's report entitled Meeting the Needs of Today's Workforce: Childcare Best Practices for information on innovative approaches employers are taking to meet employee childcare needs.
  
  
• Develop Partnerships with Other Stakeholders. Think creatively about stakeholders who may be able to provide your PHA with either financial or political support for developing childcare programs or creating partnerships. For example, PHAs may be able to work with employee unions to create partnerships that will benefit both parties' clientele. Other potential partners include local or national foundations for children, the local parks and recreation department, and local colleges or universities-particularly if they have degree programs related to childcare or early education.
  
  
• Choose Effective Partners. When pursuing partnerships with organizations that have already developed childcare programs, housing authorities should evaluate these programs for consistency with the mission of their Welfare to Work housing voucher program. Important attributes of existing programs include low cost to the recipient, flexible drop-off and pick-up times, and reliability.