The Community Coordinated Child Care (CCCC) agency in Union County has a long history of supporting child care and early education initiatives, guided by its mission to enhance the quality, accessibility, and affordability of child care services for families and children. Below is a summary of its history and contributions:

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• 1976-1980: CCCC was established as Union County's Child Care Resource and Referral agency, aiming to provide resources and support for child care. It created the first Family Child Care Network and began administering child care subsidies for children in protective services.

• 1984-1985: CCCC introduced a training calendar for child care providers and began offering Child Development Associate (CDA) training, continuing both programs annually to improve the quality of child care services.

• 1986-1995: Regional CCR&R agencies were established to coordinate services statewide. CCCC played a key role in welfare reform and became an administrator for the NJ Cares for Kids voucher program. In 1995, New Jersey transitioned to a local service provider system, with CCCC continuing to serve Union County.

• 1997-1998: CCCC became the unified agency for Union County, managing CCR&R services, family child care registration, TANF, and NJCK programs. It led the development of the NJ Professional Development Center for Early Care and Education and administered grants for professional development initiatives to support child care providers.

• 2001-2002: CCCC conducted a statewide child care market rate study and launched Project Improve, a training and intervention model to enhance child care quality. It also received a federal grant for the Early Learning Opportunities Project (ELOP), focusing on quality improvement for child care centers and providers.

• 2006-2007: CCR&Rs identified quality indicators for infant/toddler programs and contributed to economic impact studies. The NJ Department of Children and Families implemented the Strengthening Families Initiative through CCR&Rs to support families and improve child care services.

• 2009-2010: CCR&Rs conducted cost analyses, advocated for mandatory family child care registration, and led the NJ First Steps Infant/Toddler Initiative. They also collaborated on studies about child care costs and staff wages to improve the child care system.

• 2014: CCCC developed Union County's Council for Young Children and supported the implementation of the Grow New Jersey Kids Quality Rating Improvement System through federal funding, furthering its mission to improve child care quality and accessibility.

 

Through its initiatives, CCCC has consistently worked to fulfill its mission of supporting families and children by improving child care services, providing professional development for providers, and advocating for policies that enhance the child care system in Union County and New Jersey.