Chamber News
Triangle Child Care Services Agency Comes of Age as a National Leader and Catalyst
January 28, 2005 — This December marks the conclusion of Child Care Services Association’s (CCSA) thirtieth year of work to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of child care. Over this period CCSA has grown from a local, grass-roots nonprofit to a national leader and expert in the child care field and a catalyst for changing how children are cared for while their parents work.
During the last thirty years CCSA’s impact has been dramatic:
·The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project, a program developed by CCSA for North Carolina, is now licensed in 22 other states including Virginia, Colorado and Illinois.
·More than 50,000 child care providers have received college scholarships to improve their knowledge and skills through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project.
·The new statewide turnover rate of 24% is improved over the previous 31%, and shows that retention programs overall are working. And CCSA’s Child Care WAGE$® Project, which provides education-based salary supplements, produced an even lower turnover rate of 16% among program participants, increasing the stability of the child care work force.
·Over 30,000 Triangle area families have received assistance in finding high quality child care.
Child Care Services Association states in its 2003 –2004 Annual Report that:
·The agency helped child care providers upgrade over 3,800 child care slots to a higher level of care and licensure.
·Twenty-five percent of the families receiving child care subsidies were Latino.
·Families able to continue working as a result of receiving child care subsidies earned $5.7 million, supporting Triangle area economy and businesses.
CCSA’s beginning
In the early ‘70s, while a small United Way committee began its work in Chapel Hill, North Carolina became one of the last states to enact a licensing law, and the new standards were minimal. Teachers were not required to have training, compensation was low and the child-teacher ratio was high. Families had difficulty finding and paying for child care.
Orange County’s Day Care Services Committee began with a single goal -- to facilitate equal access to quality child care by providing families with subsidies -- and a vision that one day high quality child care would be accessible and affordable for any family that needed it. In neighboring Durham County, another small group tackled child care concerns through a referral service and technical support services to child care providers.
Over the years each agency grew, and in 1999 Day Care Services Association in Orange County joined forces with the Durham Day Care Council to form Child Care Services Association, a child care service agency with not only local, but statewide and national programs and influence.
A model of fiscal responsibility and organizational excellence
Child Care Services Association’s accomplishments extend beyond the programmatic. A core value of the agency is to model exemplary organizational and fiscal management -- no small feat for an agency that has grown to employ 130 people and manage a budget of almost $25 million.
At the November meeting, CCSA’s Board received an “unqualified opinion” on its audit report with no findings for the fiscal year ending 2004 – the third year in a row. This is especially significant due to the many government grants CCSA manages and the stringent compliance and accountability protocols they require.
“We are very proud of our third year with no findings in a very complex fiscal environment,” said Linda Chappel, chair of CCSA’s board of directors and finance committee. “We believe it is important to be a good steward of all the funding we receive.”
Additionally, the Triangle United Way recognized Child Care Services Association’s organizational strength by naming it an Agency of Excellence in November. CCSA was one of nine Triangle agencies to receive the distinguished award out of 84 member agencies. The Agency of Excellence Award is given to non-profits that go beyond Triangle United Way’s “essential standards” and obtain the higher “best practice” standards in areas such as non-discrimination practices, ethics, fiscal management, personnel policies, and agency mission and goals.
“As we end our 30-year celebration and reflect on our accomplishments,” said CCSA President Sue Russell, “we are grateful for the support we have received from many donors and community leaders. But positive change takes time and is incremental in nature,” she added.
Although child care has vastly improved over CCSA’s 30-year history, there is still much work to be done through the collaborative efforts of government, businesses and the philanthropic community to make a reality the original vision that all families and their children will have access to the benefits of affordable, high quality child care.
About CCSA
Child Care Services Association is a Triangle-based nonprofit ensuring accessible, affordable, high quality child care for all families. CCSA provides free referral services to families seeking child care, technical assistance to child care businesses, and educational scholarships and salary supplements to child care professionals through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® and Child Care WAGE$® Projects. CCSA licenses its programs to states across the country and provides consultation and guidance to others seeking to solve child care concerns. Ms. Sue Russell, CCSA’s president, is a nationally recognized expert on child care and a resource for policy makers throughout the United States. Headquartered in Chapel Hill, N.C., CCSA maintains offices in Raleigh and Durham, N.C. To learn more visit www.childcareservices.org