Childcare Outreach

Experiences to Share

Natural outreach opportunities
Child care centers provide natural outreach opportunities to distribute program information through flyers, posters, presentations to directors, staff and home care providers, and packets sent home with every child (Warren, Wake, Madison, Jackson, Yadkin, Harnett, Columbus, Scotland, Stanly, Granville, Rutherford, McDowell, Polk, Perquimans, Chatham, Person, Robeson).

Partners
Partnerships with Child Care Health Consultants (Cleveland), the Partnership for Children program (Cleveland, Perquimans, Person) and the Head Start program (Yadkin) are also important.

We utilize our Smart Start program's "Childcare Health Net Program" to promote our information through the daycare system.
-- Susan Vaudreuil, Onslow County

My county has a Child Care Health Consultant who visits local daycares on a regular basis. I provide her with incentives to give to the daycares when she visits each one. These are pencils, cups, keychains, toothbrushes and toothpaste all with my name on them. She also has HC/NCHC applications with her. We see each other monthly to discuss the progress.
-- Annie Edmundson, Duplin County

We go to daycares with the Smart Start Nurse to help with vision and hearing screening. We work on an asthma coalition team with child care nurses and our local Care Manager.
-- Wilma Young, Haywood County

I follow up with surveys from our daycare caseworker to address family needs.
-- Priscilla Allison, Cabarrus County

I conduct outreach at the Head Start Jamboree, an event for the family and the community.
-- Gloria Allen, Robeson County

We recently sent out inserts in the "Quality Enhancement Newsletter" which went out to all licensed providers.
-- Beth Bowen, New Hanover County

Childcare Services Association of Orange County lists contact information about HC/NCHC in their brochures. We also distribute the Association's information to families during outreach activities.
-- Darrell Renfroe, Orange County

Networking with our local Childcare Resource and Referral Agency has been a great way to train child cares to look out for those without medical insurance. I am invited to speak at their different functions and they also place a blurb in their newsletter regarding my program. Once a year, I call, then send out an informational packet to each childcare agency to have on hand.
-- Ann Bolen, Brunswick Co.

Some counties have found representation from the Child Care community on their coalition boards is also key to a comprehensive outreach (Halifax, Perquimans).

The Partnership for Children is represented on our CHIC (Children's Health Insurance Coalition) Board.
-- Virgina Bailey, Perquimans County

Buncombe County sums up their "lessons learned" this way:

Identify the county's leader and determine any training sessions, newsletters, etc... that includes all the daycares. You can have displays at meetings or training conferences. Newsletters can be used for updates and education regarding such things as special needs children, hearing aids, eye care, etc.. Names if all daycares and directors can be provided so flyers and/or posters can be distributed for their use. Do not fail to include Head Start.
-- Harriett Marlor, Buncombe County

From "NC Covering Kids:
A Retrospective"
(A report on the RWJ Covering Kids grant outreach activities of 1999-2001)

(Below are excepts from the Childcare Outreach efforts of Cabarrus and Edgecombe counties. For additional ideas, see Overall Lessons & Conclusions)

Choose the best messenger
This initiative demonstrated the importance of utilizing a messenger who could act as an enthusiastic advocate for the program while delivering the message.

In Guilford, for example, child care nurses work well. They are respected for their knowledge and commitment to children's well-being; and are personally acquainted with the staff at the centers they visit. In addition, they are able to stay in contact with the families to assist them through the application process.

It is interesting to note that at last count about 78 counties had at least one qualified Child Care Health Consultant (most of whom are nurses). Most of these consultants are employed by county health departments; they are funded by Smart Start and other sources.

Partner with "natural allies"
We believe these partnerships worked because the agencies/organizations were very committed to the effort; already actively engaged in helping families access services for children; and known to those being targeted.

We were able to take advantage of existing relationships with child care providers and families, and "piggyback" on existing processes, rather than duplicating efforts. The DSS already have contact with child care subsidy recipients, and child care nurses with child care providers and families.

Next time

We would encourage putting mechanisms in place to track outreach activities and outcomes (applications submitted and enrollments that result). When asked, "What is the one thing you would change about the program if it were to be done again?" two nurses replied that they would want to track the applications so that they could intensify their efforts at centers that had responded, and discern the changes that would increase effectiveness at centers with a smaller response.
We recommend the straightforward and relatively low-tech, low-cost strategies that we've tried.
With respect to child care subsidy recipients, we recommend exploring a front-end approach rather than waiting until after families have been approved. These approaches might include: obtaining supplemental information needed for Health Check/Health Choice when applying for child care subsidy; or developing a joint application for child care subsidy and Health Check/Health Choice.