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We make quality child care happen.
We believe every child deserves quality care and education — but more than 69,000 children in Alabama between the ages of three and four are not enrolled in early education. Here's what we did over the last year to address that.
A Letter from Our Leaders
From the beginning, it’s been our mission to ensure every child receives access to quality care and education. When our organization was founded nearly 40 years ago, only 30% of children in Alabama between the ages of 3 and 4 were enrolled in early education. Today, thanks to national, state, and local policy changes alongside our incredible community of generous donors, that number is over 50%.
While we still have work to do, we are inspired by our supporters who have championed, strategized, and rallied for our mission. We are humbled by the courage and resilience of the families we serve. We are grateful for the lessons we’ve learned over the years that make us stronger today. And we are more determined than ever to see the day when every child, every family, everywhere, has access to affordable, quality child care.
Here’s to the next 40 years.
Joan Wright
Executive Director
Rick Morris
Board Chair
Our mission is to make quality care and education of young children happen. Here's how we do it.
1
Train and support child care professionals, providing a sizable portion of training available in Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, and Walker Counties.
2
Provide child care financial assistance to low-to-moderate income working families who earn too much to qualify for state subsidy programs.
3
Support families who are searching for child care options by providing comprehensive child care information and advocacy resources.
4
Promote a child's development through comprehensive early learning, health, and family well-being services.
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Training and Technical Assistance
The goal of Training and Technical Assistance is to increase the quality of child care available to children by providing education through training and technical assistance to individuals working in child care or interested in a career in early care and education.
272
Training Sessions
103 In-Person
100 Virtual
69 On-Demand
Training Hours
512
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Training Sessions Over Time
For nearly 40 years, Training and Technical Assistance have been the largest part of the work we do. During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, our agency had to quickly pivot from in-person training for the safety of our staff and attendees, and convert training to virtual and on-demand options.
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In the last 2 years, our agency has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, while continuing to offer virtual and on-demand training sessions.
Training Options:​
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In-Person: Held at Childcare Resources or another specified location on a specific date and time.
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Virtual: Either a Live Virtual Online training with an instructor on a specific date and time through Childcare Resources’ Online Portal, or virtual through Canvas Catalog, a self-guided, self-paced online training course.
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On-Demand: Self-guided, self-paced training lasting from 1 to 4 weeks through Childcare Resources’ Online Training Portal.
"While all of my classrooms incorporate physical activity, I was able to observe areas of opportunity in my program through the Physical Activity Learning Sessions (PALS) courses I attended at Childcare Resources. Additionally, the amazing resources my program has received from PALS will truly make a huge difference in my teachers' daily routine and our student's daily physical activity experiences. My teachers thought it was Christmas in July with their new physical activity resources, and the excitement on the students' faces made it even more rewarding!"
Director
La Petite Academy
The goal of the Early Learning Resource Library and Van is to reduce the cost of delivering quality child care by providing access to teaching materials and resources free of charge. The Resource Center offers free membership and is open weekdays while the Resource Van travels 10 routes monthly.
61
Patron Visits to the Library
Patron Visits to the Van
53
Programs Participating in Van Routes
21
Providers Receiving Drop-Off Visits
21
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Specialty Programs
The goal of RISE is to positively impact the quality of child care in our community by assisting providers in surpassing the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) Child Care Licensing and Performance Standards, achieving measurable improvements, and supporting the pursuit of national accreditation and re-accreditation.
RISE = Reaching Improvement through Self-Evaluation
6
Participating Centers
Consultations
159
Technical Assistance Visits
64
Nationally Accredited Programs in Central Alabama
5%
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Participating Programs Over Time
Child care programs desiring to improve quality in their centers rely on RISE to help achieve their goals. Childcare Resources’ National Accreditation Specialist works one-on-one, both virtually and on-site, with directors and teachers, guiding them to identify deficiencies and then enhance areas needing improvement.
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Because the RISE program requires scheduled meetings, follow-up, and classroom enhancements, participation in the program is incredibly time-intensive, meaning only a select number of specific child care programs are able to participate each year.
"RISE supports my teaching staff."
The goal of the Infant Toddler Program is to increase the quality of child care available to infants and toddlers. The program is designed to assist classrooms in surpassing the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) Child Care Licensing and Performance Standards and to encourage directors to operate their program consistent with best practices.
5
Participating Classrooms
Consultations
87
Technical Assistance Visits
18
Classroom teachers achieved 80% or more of their goals.
100%
One program earned a 4 out of 5 STAR Rating in the Alabama Quality STARS Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) – an incredibly high achievement.
"After 26 years of being in business, I knew I was ready for change; after meeting with the Infant Toddler Specialist at Childcare Resources, I knew I was ready to change my entire center. Through the Infant Toddler Program, I now have the ability to fund my dream classroom and help my teachers become the best they can be. Words can’t convey our appreciation and thankfulness for Childcare Resources!"
Owner/President
The Ivy League, Inc.
Financial Assistance
The goal of the Supplemental Child Care Program is to help low-to-moderate-income working families with children birth to age five maintain employment and achieve self-sufficiently by assisting them by paying a portion of their child care costs at a legally operating provider of their choice.
75
Single Parent
Head-of-Household Families Enrolled
Children Supported
79
Direct Payments to Child Care Providers
$77,520
Average Annual Income of Enrolled Families
$40,086
Direct Child Care Payments
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Average Payment Per Family
Average Payment Per child
While the demand for our Supplemental Child Care Program (SCCP) remains the same, the amount paid through our program per family and per child continues to grow. With new sanitation and safety requirements for child care centers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside continuing inflation and impacts of the economy, child care costs are on the rise, meaning more funds are being used per family and child through our program as compared to previous years.
Top Employment Sectors
50% Business/Sales
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24% Government
23% Medical/Healthcare
3% Retail
“Childcare Resources has been great for me as a single mother with one income. I was struggling with childcare prior to being approved and it has made all the difference!"
SCCP Program Participant
“The assistance I have received has been very helpful. With the extra money I have been able to move to a bigger place and better provide for my child. Thank you for the help!”
SCCP Program Participant
Resource
and Referral
Resource and Referral provides free customized child care searches for the community. Each search includes provider profiles to assist the family in locating quality child care as well as parent resources to support the unique needs of each individual family.
636
Parents Created Accounts
3,396
Total Database Searches Performed
Child Care Referrals Provided
1,540
Searches by Category Type
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88% Child Care Center
27% Group Home
45% Family Child Care Home
47% Preschool Program
19% School-Age Program
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"The database has been great with linking our center to new families. It's very easy to set up and navigate. It definitely makes it easier for parents to find what they are looking for and has definitely made a huge impact on enrollment in our center!"
Child Care Provider
Robbie's Miracle
Head Start
Early Head Start Program
The Head Start and Early Head Start Programs promote a child's development through comprehensive early learning, health, and family well-being services. Childcare Resources Head Start Program operates through a partnership model with local schools, child care programs, and the community.
Our first Federally funded Head Start grant was implemented in July of 2020, meaning this year's report reflects the first full year of our newest early education program.
594
Funded Enrollment
110
Current Enrolled Early Head Start Children
Current Enrolled Head Start Children
178
Zip Codes Served in Jefferson County
35020 • 35022 • 35094 • 35203 • 35205 • 35206 • 35212 • 35217
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77%
Head Start Families
at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Line
82%
Early Head Start Families
at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Line
70%
Head Start children received health, hearing, vision, and development screenings
63%
Early Head Start children received health, hearing, vision, and development screenings
A family enrolled in our Head Start program shared how one of our Family Advocates assisted them from a domestic violence situation to a restored and safe family:
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"A family came to our program from a government assistance program, with the children exposed to domestic violence in the home. During the first year in our program, the parent, with Family Advocate assistance, was able to find alternative shelter for them and their children. The parent maintained her attendance in the Head Start program, which allowed them to keep their job. They attend parent meetings regularly and are involved in the classroom. Now, both the parent and the children are happy and safe."
Agency Financials
Revenue
Expenses
United Way of
Central Alabama
$546,846
Contributions
$443,000
Special Events
$226,909
Government Grants
$6,563,912
Program Revenue
$15,350
Other
$3,860
In-Kind
$236,694
Early Learning Resource Library & Van $57,576
Head Start
$6,095,163
Training and
Technical Assistance
$843,760
Supplemental
Child Care Program
$131,797
RISE $87,666
Infant Toddler $142,856
Resource and Referral $50,656
Management and General $294,809
Fundraising $299,470
We come highly rated.
When you supported our mission, you gave with confidence as we once again earned a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Guidestar.
And we have great leaders.
Joan Wright
Executive Director
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Morgan Hargrove Emahiser
Director of Development
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Tonya Jones
Director of Head Start
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Sue Parsons
Director of Finance and Administration
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Catrice Pruitt
Director of Programs
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Amy Bradley
Provider Education and Support Manager
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