Community Connections for Children | ELRC

Finding quality child care programs has never been easier, thanks to www.findchildcare.pa.gov!

• Provider Agreement completed page one (1) and signed page six (6)
• “Appendix C-1 ELRC Subsidized Child Care Provider Reported Rates”
• Published private-pay rates

Child care allows parents to work and employs thousands of York County residents. It is a critical component of the York County economy. More importantly, it is the foundation for future learning. Countless research shows the best way to ensure that a child will succeed in school, graduate from high school and become a productive member of society is to start them out on the right path. The research of  James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist from the University of Chicago, concluded that the greatest return on investment is from programs that are focused on young children. The 40-year High Scope Preschool study found that for every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood education we can save $7 on costs associated with special education, teen pregnancy, high school dropouts, juvenile delinquency, welfare dependency and prison.

Dr. Craig Ramey of Georgetown University found that for every 50 kindergarten children who experience difficulty in learning pre-reading skills, 44 of them will not be reading on grade level in third grade. School performance in third grade can predict, with 90 percent accuracy, which children will go on to drop out of school. Therefore, it is imperative that we ensure that every child enters kindergarten with the skills necessary to succeed.  CCC does just that by working with parents to develop their skills as their child’s first teacher, partnering with all types of early childhood education programs to improve their quality, and working with business and community leaders and organizations to support young children and their families.

Community Connections for Children in York was selected by the PA Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) to be the regional Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) for Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry and Lebanon Counties (Region 9) and York, Adams, Lancaster Counties (Region 10). The ELRCs were created to improve the quality of and access to early learning services and help families identify the best child care options that meet the needs of their children. The ELRCs will also provide connections to other organizations providing services to families with young children.  Beginning July 1, 2018 ELRCs will provide a single point of contact for families, early childhood education programs, non-profits, communities and business leaders to gain information and access services that support high quality early childhood education. Community Connections for Children is one of twelve organizations across the Commonwealth that were selected.

Community Connections for Children will expand services through the new ELRC model overseeing the Child Care Works programs for these seven counties. The agency will continue to provide support for PA’s quality improvement program, Keystone STARS in this service area and as a subcontractor for ERLC programs in Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Snyder, Union, and Northumberland Counties (Region 8). Community Connections for Children will continue to administer the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for 21 counties and is a United Way of York County Partner Agency. Agency revenue will expand to approximately $75 million and will be adding 35-40 staff members.

Christy S. Renjilian, Executive Director of Community Connections for Children, said, “Community Connections for Children is pleased to continue its decades of service to York County and surrounding communities. We have a long history of working with a wide variety of community partners to promote access, affordability and quality of early childhood education programs for families and children. Community Connections for Children looks forward to building upon our strengths and creating new partnerships to enhance services throughout ELRC Regions 9 and 10”.

Community Connections for Children, founded in 1987, is committed to helping children, families, and early childhood education programs be successful. Our mission is to ensure that all families have access to affordable, high quality child care choices that lead to success in school and life.

We assist low income working families in paying for child care. Community Connections for Children provides resources, training, and on-site technical assistance to early childhood education providers to help them improve their program to ensure that every child is successful in school and life.  We serve approximately 24,000 children, families, and early childhood education programs annually.

For more information, please contact Christy S. Renjilian, Executive Director, crenjilian@childcareconsultants.org  or 717-771-8560.

Department expands access to high-quality child care services

On April 24, 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced the selection of regional Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs), created to improve the quality of and access to early learning services in the state and help families identify the best child care options that meets the needs of the child(ren) while offering connections to additional services, such as a child care subsidy.

“The Wolf administration believes that all children and families should have access to high-quality child care,” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller. “The announcement of ELRCs is groundbreaking for Pennsylvania’s comprehensive early learning system. The department looks forward to supporting integrated, innovative agencies as they increase access to and continue quality-building for early learning programs.”

Developed as a result of stakeholder feedback, ELRCs consolidate the current work of Child Care Information Service Agencies and the Regional Keys to create an enhanced resource and referral system for communities seeking early learning services and supports.

Beginning July 1, 2018, ELRCs will provide a single point-of contact for families, early learning service providers, and communities to gain information and access services that support high-quality child care and early learning programs.  ELRCs will administer over $680 million in child care subsidy and supports. This state and federal investment in Pennsylvania’s working families enables parents to maintain employment while creating opportunities for the commonwealth’s children to develop and learn to their fullest potential.

Through the ELRC, child care professionals can obtain support in building quality outcomes for children by working with quality coaches to achieve Keystone STAR 3 and 4 status, building connections with community partners, and supporting children and families in accessing additional services, such as PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start, home-visiting, and Early Intervention.

All ELRCs will have a primary location in their designated region and most will have satellite offices. ELRCs will also partner with community organizations to meet families’ needs where they naturally congregate.

The following lead agencies have been selected:

Due to pending litigation, at this point in time, DHS’ selection for two regions — Region 5 (Allegheny County) and Region 18 (Philadelphia County) – is on hold. The two regions will continue operation with existing Child Care Information Service agencies and the Regional Key until the procurement process is completed.

For more information, visit http://www.dhs.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT:   Colin Day, DHS, 717.425.7606