History of Community Child Care Connection

The Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), administered by the Office of Child Development, had a vision to develop a statewide Child Care Resource & Referral system. The system would provide:

1. child care consumer education and referrals to all parents regardless of income;
2. recruitment, training and support to all child care programs;
3. information to employers on child care options; and
4. data on child care supply and demand to communities.

The system would also assure that all decisions and actions would not discriminate with respect to age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. The system was built upon standards for CCR&R services developed in 1988 and 1989 by the Statewide Resource & Referral agencies located throughout Illinois, dividing regions into serving service deliver areas (SDA). The Springfield United Way, Springfield Urban League, and District 186 developed a consortium and were awarded the first grant to create Community Child Care Connection. The consortium was mutually dissolved and Community Child Care Connection, Inc. (CCCC) became an independent, not-for-profit agency on April 4, 1990. SDA 13 includes Christian, Logan, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Sangamon, and Scout counties in Illinois. An independent board representative of the population and geographic region it services, governs CCCC.

Our Mission

The mission of CCCC is to promote and facilitate high quality early care and education for children, families, child care professionals, employers, and communities in the Service Deliver Area (SDA) through a coordinated effort by supporting, expanding, and enhancing existing professional development, financial assistance, and referral services; and to develop innovative and comprehensive public/private partnerships, which advocate on behalf of children and families.