Resource and Referral agencies (R&Rs) are located in every county in California. There are currently ninety R&R offices operating throughout the state. Services that can be obtained by parents, providers, businesses and others concerned about child care include:
- Assistance to low-income families who need help affording child care;
- General information about licensing procedures and regulations;
- Free referral services to connect parents with child care providers;
- Ongoing professional training and continued education for child care providers;
- Parenting workshops;
- Resources on quality child care (literature, Toy and Resource Lending Library, video tapes);
- Administration of or referral to Child Care Food Programs; and
- Fingerprint process for in-home and license exempt subsidized child care providers.
R&Rs provide information describing the community’s child care services. They identify and target child care needs in the community, and focus on recruiting new providers. R&Rs collaborate on efforts to develop community-based solutions to local child care issues. The R&R in SLO County is the Child Care Resource Connection, operated by the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo.
