By Guest Blogger Katura Jackson, executive director
Winston Salem is fortunate to a number of resources to support children and families. Child Care Resource Center is one of these resources. Created in 1991 as a collaborative effort between the Junior League of Winston-Salem, Northwest Child Development Council, The Winston Salem Foundation and United Way of Forsyth County, CCRC’s mission is to work with families and early childhood professionals to provide consumer education, referrals and resources to promote quality child care in our community. The agency focuses on connecting child care services with child care needs and increasing public awareness about the importance of quality child care.
CCRC provides services in English and Spanish for parents, early childhood professionals, employers and the community in general utilizing funding from government and private sources.
Assisting Parents
The agency is best known in the community for providing child care referral services. CCRC’s staff of parent specialists assist families in finding child care to meet their specific needs. Parents calling the service can receive personalized referrals to legally operating and high quality child care programs. The parent specialists also provide information on how to choose the best child care for their individual needs, building relationships with child care providers, and training to help parents sharpen their skills.
For families seeking in-home caregivers and for individuals who seek nanny positions, CCRC also offers a Nanny Service. We partner with parents to find a suitable nanny, and assess qualifications of those who seek employment as in-home caregivers to add to our recommended nanny referral listing. CCRC charges a fee for this service.
Helping Early Childhood Professionals
CCRC works with a variety of child care programs in Forsyth County and 8 surrounding counties serving children from birth to 12 years. We have early education coaches who train current and potential family child care programs to increase the quality of their care giving environments. CCRC’s coaches provide solutions to issues facing child care programs in Infant/Toddler Development, School Age Environments, Dual Language Learners and Healthy and Social Behaviors.
Working with Employers
More than ever before, employers recognize concerns with childcare has a significant impact on employees’ morale, turnover and productivity. CCRC can help employers develop customized childcare solutions for their employees. Services offered include consultation on the development of family friendly policies and benefits, enhanced dependent care resources and referrals, and seminars on a variety of work and family issues. The agency contracts with several local employers to provide enhanced resource and referrals services (child care and nanny referrals) as a benefit to their employees. This access to expert guidance in identifying quality child care saves time and minimizes stress for the employees.
Serving the Community
CCRC is deeply committed to working within the community to improve the quality and availability of child care. Through its daily interaction with parents and child care providers, CCRC collects essential data on child care supply and demand so that needs can be identified and solutions developed to meet those needs. CCRC collaborates with other agencies to help educate community leaders on child care issues and works closely with state and 
national children’s organizations support initiatives that enable children to develop to their fullest potential.
If you would like additional information or to access any of the services listed above, please call 336-245-4900.
*Sponsored by Child Care Resource Center
