James G. Beierlein / James E. Van Horn
Professor of Agricultural Economics / Professor of Family Sociology
Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
Penn State University
Copyright/Access Information
Many Resource and Referral systems are computerized, and the data
supplied to parents include location, time of operation, ages
of children served, type of care (for example, family day care
homes or child development centers), and fee structure. Resource
and Referrals also counsel parents on the selection of appropriate
child care and encourage them to visit providers. Resource and
Referral systems can indirectly stimulate the development of additional
child care providers. Some also administer public and private
voucher and scholarship funds.
- Costs to the company can be relatively low.
- The company does not have to be directly involved in the selection
or provision of child care.
- Assists families with wide range of child care needs.
- The child care data base file must be kept current if the
service is to be useful.
- Resource and referral services do not make child care more affordable
and are not a guarantee of quality.
- Problems may remain for parents in areas where there is a shortage
of child care facilities.
- If adequate services are unavailable, employees may report dissatisfaction
with the referral service.
A needs assessment should be conducted among employees to determine the interest in this type of assistance. A sample needs assessment with suggested questions can be found in this file under "Questionnaire." This questionnaire may be copied and distributed among employees as it is written, or changes may be made to reflect the needs and interests of a business.
A joint management-employee committee may be useful in developing the program. It can foster a sense of program ownership among employees and provide a forum for them to give input into design features of the program or service.
Data on the locations where employees would prefer child care are necessary in designing a Resource and Referral system. The design will depend greatly on the employees' geographic concerns. For example, parents may want child care near their home, near work, or near an elementary school. If the company is located in one area and the vast majority of employees live in the same area, the focus will be somewhat simple. It becomes more complicated when a company has offices in several areas. Determining the geographic area will assist employers in determining whether they should establish a local or regional Resource and Referral system.
Before embarking on such a major initiative, a search should
be undertaken to ascertain whether similar services are already
available in the community. A child care specialist or your local
Extension home economist can help in this search. To identify
existing agencies that provide
Resource and Referral services, contacts should include, among
others, public child care referral agencies, YWCAs/YMCAs, libraries,
United Ways, child advocacy organizations, public schools, and
colleges. Contacting the appropriate local government office focusing
on child care needs could also prove useful. The key to the success
of an existing agency operating Resource and Referral services
is its specialized expertise in child care and its credibility
with providers.
A company can operate its own Resource and Referral or contract
with others who have already developed an information data base.
The decision whether to contract the service out depends on the
goals of the company as well as the child care needs of employees.
An in-house Resource and Referral can fit into a company's existing
employee assistance program or benefits personnel or human resources
department. However, the company must be willing to assign the
necessary personnel to update the information regularly through
calls to child care providers. By contracting the service out,
the company can buy into existing child care systems and avoid
the considerable expense of creating and maintaining a data base
of providers
If the decision is to develop a new Resource and Referral agency
to administer the service, the program may be designed internally,
or seed money may be provided to establish the service in the
community. Adequate funding must be earmarked and policies clearly
defined to ensure
accountability. Designing forms for provider information and parent
intake is essential. There are available child care referral software
computer packages that may be considered. Continual updating of
provider data is extremely important to assist parents in finding
child care that meets
their needs. Parent data are also very helpful in compiling actual
usage statistics, which will in turn assist in planning for child
care needs.
If the decision is to contract out for the Resource and Referral
services, the organization selected should be an established agency
and neutral about the many different forms of child care. In addition
to local Resource and Referral agencies, there are at least two
national child care referral
agencies that can coordinate referral services for multisite companies
with locations in different states. These organizations act as
a liaison between the employer and individual local agencies.
The contract should describe in detail what services will be provided.
Parents should be given several child care program alternatives
that match their unique needs and relate to the age of their child
as well as to the general location and type of care they are seeking.
The Resource and
Referral should, at a minimum, give parents the programs' locations,
hours of service, dates of operation, capacity, fees, and the
ages of children accepted. Other helpful information would be
whether the programs provide hot meals, transportation, and bilingual
or handicapped services and
whether they have vacancies.
The contract may also require that the contractor provide parenting
workshops and/or a handbook for parents seeking a new child care
provider. The handbook may include a checklist of what to look
for in a good child care program.
The agreement is most helpful to management if it includes a "follow-up"
component - checking back with parents about their success in
finding a suitable child care arrangement. This information reveals
whether the Resource and Referral service is effective and whether
there are significant gaps in the supply of care which the company
may want to address.
Employees must understand that only information and advice are given, not recommendations or endorsements of particular providers. Several providers' names should be given to the parent to allow for parental choice. There should be a written disclaimer stating that the providers listed are simply referrals and that placement of the child is the decision and sole responsibility of the parent. There should be a policy for complaints that defines the procedures and actions to be taken.
Resource and Referrals are less costly than other child care
options both to start up and to operate. A capital expense can
be involved in launching this service - the purchase of hardware
and software for the system if a company provides a computerized
referral system. The ongoing expense with an in-house service
is primarily the personnel who make the referrals.
When contracting the service out, the cost is generally calculated
on a per employee basis or the cost per service. Donations of
in-kind space, utilities, and services such as legal and accounting
assistance can help to defray the costs. A cost-benefit analysis
should be conducted that compares
short-term start-up costs and long-term operating costs with the
productivity, absenteeism, and turnover advantages that Resource
and Referral assistance will provide.
Resource and Referral services need to have insurance coverage for professional liability. The company's legal counsel may need to determine the feasibility of adding liability insurance to existing insurance coverage. A written disclaimer concerning referral is strongly recommended.
Publicity on the program can be accomplished through lunchtime seminars or meetings, information flyers, notices on bulletin boards, or articles in employee newsletters. The employer should also ensure that company benefits personnel are knowledgeable enough about the program to answer questions.
Once the program is in place, a mechanism should be developed so that the employer can evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of the program. The evaluation should include a monthly review of the budget versus costs reports, usage figures, quality control standards and measures, and an annual program review. Also, reports based on referrals given and follow-up calls should be reviewed. Requiring reports from Resource and Referral services that outline the number and types of requests from employees allows the com-pany to project whether the service is meeting the parents' needs.
Contacting the local child care Resource and Referral agency
could prove useful. If there is no such service in the community,
the government office responsible for child care services may
be of assistance.
You may want to consult with your local Cooperative Extension
Service to help determine child care needs. The Cooperative Extension
Service could also present educational programs on child care,
parenting, and other work/family-related concerns for employees.
Other people in your community may be consulted in planning a
child care assistance option. You should consider: nursery school
teachers, director or staff of day care centers, local Cooperative
Extension 4-H agents, retired persons with child development backgrounds,
vocational technical
schools with child care curriculum, community colleges, and local
child care sponsoring agencies (such as a child care council or
community action agency).
For more information on Resource and Referral services, contact
the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies,
2116 Campus Drive S.E., Rochester, MN 55904.