Oklahoma Child Care Resource And Referral Association

OKLAHOMA CHILD CARE RESOURCE & REFERRAL DOES WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE CHILD CARE WORK FOR FAMILIES, CHILDREN, AND PROVIDERS. WE GIVE FAMILIES PEACE OF MIND BY EQUIPPING THEM WITH INFORMATION ON CHILD CARE OPTIONS, PROVIDING FREE REFERRALS SO FAMILIES CAN CHOOSE THE SETTING BEST SUITED FOR THEIR FAMILY. WE PROVIDE TRAINING AND ON-SITE COACHING TO CHILD CARE PROVIDERS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE CHILDREN IN THEIR CARE AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THAT CARE. WE SERVE AS A COMMUNITY RESOURCE FOR PARENTS AND PROVIDERS WITH THE GOAL OF SAFE, HEALTHY, AND ENRICHED CHILDREN.

THE OKLAHOMA CHILD CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL ASSOCIATION (OCCRRA) IS THE LEAD ORGANIZATION TO GUIDE AND ADMINISTER A STATEWIDE NETWORK OF CHILD CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL AGENCIES (CCR&R). THE NETWORK SERVES COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING INFORMATION, REFERRALS, ASSISTANCE, AND CONSULTING THAT IMPROVES THE QUALITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY OF LICENSED CHILD CARE.FY 2022 PRESENTED CONTINUED OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME CREATIVE IN PROVIDING SERVICES TO FAMILIES AND TO PROVIDERS DURING CHALLENGING TIMES AS THE PANDEMIC HINDERED IN-PERSON INTERACTION AND CAUSED MANY TO CHANGE STRUCTURES REGARDING THEIR FAMILY AND WORK LIFE ENVIRONMENTS - MANY CHANGES MESHING THE TWO. THE CHILD CARE INDUSTRY WAS IMPACTED GREATLY BY THESE CHANGES. FORTUNATELY, OCCRRA AND OUR NETWORK OF AGENCIES WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE PROVIDING SERVICES TO THOSE IN NEED, ALBEIT, AT MANY TIMES, VIRTUALLY. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE NETWORK SUPPORTED FAMILIES BY SERVING 2,855 CHILDREN, AGES 0-12 THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA WITH FREE CHILD CARE REFERRALS AND BY RESPONDING TO 2,444 FREE ONLINE REQUESTS TO FIND QUALITY CHILD CARE TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. THE CCR&R NETWORK SUPPORTS CHILD CARE PROGRAMS AND PROVIDERS BY OFFERING FREE CONSULTATION TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF CARE. WHILE ASSISTING PROVIDERS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO OFFER AGE-APPROPRIATE LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN A HEALTHY, SAFE ENVIRONMENT THAT MEETS LICENSING REQUIREMENTS, THE NETWORK OFFERS SUPPORT AND BEST PRACTICES ON HOW TO PROVIDE A QUALITY EARLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. THIS ENVIRONMENT IS LINKED TO OKLAHOMA CORE COMPETENCIES AND EARLY LEARNING GUIDELINES. THIS YEAR THE NETWORK PROVIDED 2,316 HOURS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO CHILD CARE PROVIDERS; AND OFFERED 996 HOURS OF CERTIFIED TRAINING WHICH WAS COMPLETED BY 13,147 PARTICIPANTS.THE INFANT TODDLER PROGRAM PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE DURING THE 2022 FISCAL YEAR. IT IS A PROGRAM WHICH CONTINUES TO GROW AND BE EMBRACED BY CHILD CARE PROVIDERS. THE PROGRAM FOCUS IS ON-SITE COACHING OF TEACHERS IN CLASSROOMS OF CHILDREN 0-2 YEARS OLD. EACH YEAR OCCRRA PROVIDES UP-TO-DATE DATA AND REPORTS ON CHILD CARE FOR EACH OF OKLAHOMA'S 77 COUNTIES ALONG WITH A CUMULATIVE FOR THE ENTIRE STATE. OCCRRAS CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION PORTFOLIO CONTAINING THIS DATA IS PUBLISHED ON OUR WEBSITE ANNUALLY. WE ARE PROUD TO KEEP COMMUNITY LEADERS INFORMED ON WHAT CHILD CARE LOOKS LIKE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND TO ENABLE DECISION-MAKERS TO CREATE BETTER POLICIES FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN OKLAHOMA'S CHILD CARE SYSTEM.OCCRRA HAS BEEN THE RECIPIENT FOR THREE YEARS OF A GRANT FROM THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION TO INCREASE ACCESS FOR PARENTS TO CHILD CARE THROUGH SUBSIDY. THE FIRST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE WORKED WITH A LOCAL PR FIRM TO CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA ADS TO ENGAGE AND CONNECT PARENTS TO CHILD CARE PROGRAMS AND CHILD CARE SUBSIDY.EACH YEAR OCCRRA SUPPORTS THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY BY HOSTING A HISPANIC CONFERENCE. IN FY 2022 THE CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN NORMAN, OK WITH 97 HISPANIC PROVIDERS IN ATTENDANCE. THE YEAR PARTICIPANTS LEARNED THE BASICS OF PYRAMID MODEL FROM YOLONDA SOSA, AN EXPERT IN THIS TOPIC. HER PRESENTATION WAS IN SPANISH AND SHE SPOKE ABOUT CREATING SAFE ENVIRONMENTS AND PREVENTING CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS IN THE CLASSROOM. PROVIDERS ALSO LEARNED SOME SELF-REGULATORY TECHNIQUES TO HELP CHILDREN MANAGE THEIR OWN FEELINGS. WITH DEDICATION, THE OCCRRA NETWORK ENDEAVORED TO SUPPORT A CHILD CARE SYSTEM THAT SERVED ALL OF OKLAHOMA'S CHILDREN IN FY 2022. ON JUNE 30, 2022 AT 11:59 P.M. OCCRRA DISSOLVED IN A MERGER WITH THE OKLAHOMA PARTNERSHIP FOR SCHOOL READINESS FOUNDATION (OPSRF). THE WORK OF CCR&R NETWORK WILL CONTINUE UNDER THEIR DIRECTION.