The Mission of Child Care Resources is to ensure that all children in Rockland County, New York and the surrounding areas have equal access to quality child care and early education services.

Our Vision is that Child Care Resources of Rockland will be respected and fully recognized as the experts in quality child care and early education services and is the single point of contact for information about those services in Rockland County.

A Timeline of Our History

Responding to a growing need for child care in Rockland County, representatives of nursery schools, child care centers and early childhood educators confer about establishing an organization to offer assistance, training and referrals.  Following meetings of community and child care groups, a committee for Rockland Day Care Council is formed to advocate for child care legislation, public funding for child care, higher standards in the county, greater information and program development.  There were then five child care centers in Rockland County. The first Annual Early Childhood Conference is held in 1974.

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Non-profit child care centers and interested individuals and organizations participate in the founding of the Day Care and Child Development Council.  Phyllis Helbraun is chosen to be its first Executive Director and our 501(C) (3) status is created in 1974.  An office opened on Main Street, Spring Valley with the help of Rockland Community College and Rockland County government.  The Council assists Rockland Community College in establishing its child care center- Campus Fun and Learn.

The Council begins to develop family child care homes to help families who work and need care for children under three.  Council assists Rockland Community College in expanding its early childhood course offerings.  The Council writes the proposal which leads to the establishment of the Community Playgroup in Piermont as a child care center.  United Way Enterprise Grant enables the Council to develop a program so that a consultant with an appropriate special education background could assist child care staff on the care of children with special needs.The Council provides Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) training for child care workers.

Realizing the growing need for child care cannot be met by centers alone, the Council continues to seek out family child care providers.  With Rockland County Department of Social Services, the Council helps to recruit and promote regulated home care.  It also starts to help employees of local businesses find child care arrangements.  In response to its changing role in the community, the Council changes its name to Rockland Council for Young Children (RCYC).

The Council focuses its advocacy efforts on obtaining the first state funding stream for child care subsidies for low-income working families.

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The Child Development Associate Program (CDA) is established at Rockland Community College. Fifteen students are enrolled in the first year.

Family Court Judge Bernard Stanger sees the incidence of child mischief as an indication of the need for more supervised programs in North Rockland. The Council starts North Rockland School Age Care Program at Neary and West Haverstraw Elementary Schools with help from the Rockland County Youth Bureau. A second Youth Bureau grant is given in order to develop similar programs in other parts of the county. RCYC contracts with first corporate client, Orange & Rockland Utilities, to provide child care resource and referral services to employees.

The Department of Social Services and the State University of New York begin to pilot a Family Child Care Training Series at RCYC.

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Council assumes responsibility for the Child and Adult Food Care Program. Family child care providers are educated about proper nutrition for children in their care and obtain reimbursement for the meals served.  The Council expands its assistance to children with special needs with the help of a Developmental Disabilities Services Office grant. RCYC contracts with Work/Family Directions, Ciba Pharmaceuticals, Good Samaritan Hospital, Partnership Group, Lamont Earth Observatory to provide child care resource and referral services for company employees.

With the Council’s help, three new after school programs are started.  The first “In Praise of Providers” celebration was held at Rockland Community College, honoring the dedicated work of local family child care providers.

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RCYC receives state funding through the New York State Department of Social Services first Child Care Resource and Referral contract.  Rockland County Child Care Coalition is established by the Rockland County Legislature in order to inform employers about the importance of child care for employees and to make a variety of child care services available at the workplace. 

Thanks to efforts by the Council and other groups, the Rockland County Legislature approved $100,000 in salary enhancement for child care teachers, reflecting a new awareness of the economic importance of quality child care in the county.  Marseille Rogers Child Development Associate Scholarship is first awarded.  Toby Braverman Early Childhood Award is established in memory of this outstanding teacher and advocate for young children. Interest in child care referral services grows as does the need for more family child care providers and center-based child care programs.

Curriculum called Love, Acceptance, and Patience (LAP) is first offered to family child care providers to assist them in caring for children with special needs.  SUNY Research Foundation awards RCYC monies in order to provide training to family child care providers so that they can meet mandated Department of Social Services training requirements. NYNEX approves and funds the Council to assist the first group of child care centers in obtaining National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation.  The Early Childhood Consortium is formed to help celebrate and educate others about the commitment of all those who work in early care and education.

The RCYC staff is trained in Total Quality Management.  The Council contracts with A&T Healthcare to supply training to caregivers for mildly-ill children as a resource for working parents and Head Start of Rockland to train Head Start employees. A new fee for service policy goes into effect; parents are charged for child care referrals based on family income.  The service remains free for Department of Social Services clients, and no one is turned away for inability to pay.

Phyllis Helbraun, the founding Executive Director, retires.

Outreach offices are established in Haverstraw and New City. RCYC becomes involved in a new county-wide initiative called the 21st Century Collaborative for Children and Youth, and begins working with local school districts to develop Kindergarten/Early Childhood Transition Teams and Family Resources Centers. The NYS Office for Family and Children Services  (formerly Department of Social Services) awards a contract to train “Informal” child care providers.

RCYC, feeling that that name once again did not clearly identify the multitude of services it was now providing, changes its name to Child Care Resources of Rockland, Inc.

Head Start of Rockland expands their services into family child care homes, and contracts with Child Care Resources of Rockland to recruit, train and provide ongoing support to home-based programs. The NYS Legislature establishes a statewide Universal Pre-Kindergarten program. CCRR works with local school districts to help them form Universal Pre-K Advisory Committees. The East Ramapo and North Rockland School Districts contracts with CCRR to provide a variety of support services for their programs during the first year.

The North Rockland School Age Care program expands from two after-school sessions to five after-school and three before-school sessions.

CCRR collaborates with Volunteer Counseling Service to promote Elder Care Services to the local business community.  Barr Laboratories, Inc. purchases the first Elder Care contract for their employees.

IBM and the American Business Collaborative, through WFD, provides funding for new initiatives to improve the quality and availability of child care in Rockland and Orange Counties. Teach Plus, Hands-On Science Workshops, Director’s Training and Emergency Back-Up Care programs are all offered. CCRR helps Kids’ Corner of Rockland establish the county’s first mildly ill child care service.

CCRR establishes an Institute for School Age Care with funding from the NYS Task Force on School Community Collaboration and the Rockland County Youth Bureau.

The Rockland County Legislature awards $115,000 of new funding for a Quality Child Care Campaign enabling 24 programs serving children from six weeks to eleven years to reach national accreditation standards.

The Phyllis Helbraun Leadership Fund is launched.

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CCRR partners with East Ramapo, Nyack, Clarkstown, and North Rockland school districts to provide Universal Pre-Kindergarten services to over 700 eligible 4 year olds.   

Started First Teacher Project in order to recruit and train child care staff who can provide developmentally appropriate care and education.  

Established a new annex office space at 235 North Main Street, Suite 11; Spring Valley, NY. 

Launched Safe Havens Training Project in response to the events of September 11, 2001. 

Helped twenty-five programs in Rockland  receive national accreditation as part of Rockland's Quality Child Care Campaign.

CCRR partners with the New York State Department of Labor and Rockland County Department of Social Services to implement the Community Solutions for Transportation Program which provides transportation for working participants to get from home to child care to work and back again.

Created and distributed Emergency Evacuation Kits and Sheltering in Place Kits, each containing materials to assist child care providers in keeping our children safe in the event of an emergency.

Collaborated with the Rockland County Office of Fire and Emergency Services to train child care providers in establishing emergency procedures and responding to emergency situations.

CCRR launches the Better Baby Care Campaign in Rockland County.

Child Care Resources of Rockland enters it's 30th year of service.  Collaborated with the Rockland County Department of Health to administer the “Eat Well, Play Hard” grant training 13 child care programs on the importance of nutrition and exercise for children.  Trained staff in fingerprinting procedures to assist child care programs to have their employees fingerprinted in accordance with Office of Children and Family Services regulations.  Contracted with the Department of Social Services to write and provide workshops on “Business and Recordkeeping” and “Child Care Subsidy Procedures” for all child care programs free of charge.  The North Rockland After School Program received a grant from the “For All Kids” Foundation which provided scholarships for children attending the NORSAC program.

A Registered Nurse was hired to provide Child Care Health Services including Medication Administration Training to child care professionals, a New York State requirement for child care providers that administer medication to children in their programs.

In February of 2006 we were awarded a March of Dimes grant to provide Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) training to child care programs and parents in seven counties in the lower Hudson Valley area.

Awarded New York State Department of Health “Eat Well/Play Hard” grant to provide childhood obesity awareness and prevention training to child care centers in four counties.

In March of 2006 we were notified that we had achieved Best Practices Certification from the New York State Child Care Coordinating Council.  This is a new requirement that the Office of Children and Family Services requires for all CCR&R contracts. 

In response to child care director’s request for assistance on the business side of their programs, we submitted and were awarded an Innovative Grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services in 2007 to provide “shared services” to early childhood programs.  This program will allow Child Care Resources of Rockland to assist programs with tuition collection services, health care benefits, bulk-buying power, administrative support, hiring new staff, training for their staff and other services that may be requested.

In July of 2007, the United Way of Rockland County selected Child Care Resources of Rockland to oversee two Rockland County Community Impact Initiatives:  Transportation and Scholarships.  The Family Transportation Assistance Program provides transportation from home to child care to work and back again for eligible families.  The Child Care Tuition Scholarship Program funds part of the child care tuition for families that are not eligible for Department of Social Services Subsidies.

Additionally, in October of 2007, the Rockland County Department of Social Services awarded Child Care Resources of Rockland the Community Solutions for Transportation grant that was initially funded from 2002 through 2004.  This temporary assistance program provides eligible families with transportation from home to child care to work and back again for a maximum of six months.

In November of 2007 the New York State Department of Health awarded Child Care Resources of Rockland with the Activ8Kids! Media Grant.  This project will help early childhood programs in Rockland County reduce and/or eliminate the use of “screen” time in their programs and promote physical activity to reduce obesity in young children.