HISTORY

Child Care Resource Centers have been in operation in Tennessee for nine years, with a primary focus on technical assistance to child care providers. Signal Centers, Inc., located in Chattanooga , began operation of the first Child Care Resource Center in 1994. Funding was provided through a partnership of the Tennessee Department of Human Services, Department of Health and Environment's Maternal and Child Health Division, and the Tennessee Council for Developmental Disabilities. Referral services for parents were provided through a centralized system housed in the state offices of the Department of Human Services. This system provided a toll-free phone number and web-based referral service for parents.

In 2001, the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) provided funding which added a comprehensive training component to the existing system of eleven Child Care Resource Centers. The Tennessee Child Care Provider Training (TN-CCPT) project's primary purpose at that time was to establish a system to assist child care providers in meeting the increased training requirements as defined in child care legislation and the related Tennessee Licensure Rules and Standards.

A system for localized referral services was implemented in July, 2003, by the Tennessee Department of Human Services, again utilizing the expertise of the established eleven Child Care Resource Centers. This modification in the provision of referral services resulted in the new system of Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral Network. A review of the literature indicates that about half of the states have CCR&R organizations, which are often referred to as Networks. This structure helps to provide a clearly defined system to maximize the use of public and/or private funds and develop projects which can enhance the current CCR&R functions in Tennessee . By creating uniform data collections systems, a common statewide training and technical assistance focus, and streamlining funding resources, a CCR&R Network can build and maintain high quality local resource and referral units.