Creative Child Care Solutions (CCCS)

General Information About
Creative Child Care Solutions (CCCS)

Information for Businesses
& Community Leaders

Information for Child Care Providers

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In response to inquiries from
Pennsylvania businesses about a
lack of affordable, quality child care
in various communities, the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) launched a new initiative, Creative Child Care Solutions.

Lead by the Pennsylvania Key’s Early Childhood Education Strategy Advisor, Karen Grimm-Thomas, Creative Child Care Solutions is committed to engaging business and community leaders around the impacts child care services have on their employees, their business and their community.

The initiative has the following goals: 

1

To educate Pennsylvania businesses and community leaders about the negative economic impact that an insufficient supply of child care is having on their business and the larger Pennsylvania economy.

When working parents cannot find child care, it limits their ability to find a job and be fully present once they do find work. Creative Child Care Solutions helps businesses understand the impact that the high cost of care, insufficient reimbursement rates and low staff salaries have on a child care provider’s ability to operate at capacity and meet the child care needs of the community.

2

To build the business and community leader’s capacity to think of child care as a benefit for their employees and residents.

By exploring family friendly policies and different strategies to support working parents’ child care needs, like dependent care savings accounts and contracting for slots with local child care providers, businesses can increase the likelihood they will be able to attract and retain staff and reduce their losses from an insufficient supply of child care. Creative Child Care Solutions can help businesses understand the range of supports that they could offer and decide which ones would be the most helpful to their employees. 

3

To provide technical assistance to business and community leaders so they prioritize solutions that invest in local child care programs.

When businesses partner with local child care providers to either ensure capacity at current centers or to expand to a new site, they strengthen, rather than compete with, the local child care system. Creative Child Care Solutions can help business and community leaders build relationships with local child care providers to explore ways to partner and increase child care capacity.

4

Ensure equitable access to quality child care not only for a business’ employees, but for all children who receive care in the community.

When a business provides resources at the community level by partnering with local programs, child care providers are better able to meet the needs of the larger community and not just the employees at a particular business location.  

For Businesses & Community Leaders

As a leader in Pennsylvania’s early childhood education field, Creative Child Care Solutions recognizes that businesses and organizations are consistently looking for ways to attract and retain qualified staff. We also understand families often struggle to find reliable, safe, and affordable child care options for their children, which can make it difficult for them to give their best at work.

Learn More

For Child Care Providers

A critical part of engaging business and community leaders identifying businesses that are open to conversations and exploring partnerships with local child care providers. Creative Child Care Solutions can connect with interested child care providers to identify potential business partners in their community and engage them in conversations.

Because CCCS operates in partnership with OCDEL, child care providers are never charged for any supports we provide.

Learn More
If you know of a business in your community that may be open to these conversations, or if you would like to learn how to identify a potential partner, please contact Karen Grimm-Thomas via email (kargri@pakeys.org) or phone (717-405-6645).