Child Care Resource & Referral

What Child Care Resource & Referral does

Child Care Resource & Referral (CCRR) is a Joliet, Illinois-based non-profit organization founded in 1991 that operates as the regional child care resource and referral agency for Kankakee, Will, Grundy, and Kendall counties. The organization serves as the authorized administrative channel for the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Early Head Start (0-3), Preschool for All & Expansion (3-5), and Social Emotional Learning Facilitation, processing approximately 425,000 CCAP paperwork items and connecting families to licensed childcare providers. Per cumulative organizational metrics, CCRR has served 650,000 families, trained 780 providers, and facilitated 370,000 professional development hours in its service area.

CCRR's product surface spans three interconnected service lines: (1) family-facing services including CCAP subsidy processing and childcare referrals; (2) provider-facing services including Illinois Gateways-approved continuing education, business startup guidance, funding/grant access, and consultant referrals; and (3) workforce development through the Higher Ed Navigator Program and ECACE scholarships in partnership with Lewis University. The organization also administers community grant programs including Smart Start Illinois (Child Care Workforce Grants, Home Visiting expansion, Early Intervention), Healing Illinois, and Health Equity initiatives. Technology dependencies are minimal and standard — Zoom for webinar delivery, Google/Outlook/iCalendar for event scheduling, and the Illinois Gateways credentialing registry.

The business model is a state-government-funded non-profit intermediary. Revenue derives almost entirely from Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois State Board of Education, and federal Infant Early Head Start appropriations, with services provided at no direct cost to families or providers. Distribution occurs through four physical offices (Joliet HQ, Joliet Higher Ed Navigators, Kankakee CCAP, Plano CCAP), Zoom-based training, ECE Hub monthly community meetings, newsletters, and the CCRR blog. Rita Armstrong serves as Executive Director. There is no indication of venture, equity, or private capital involvement.

Name

Child Care Resource & Referral

Legal name

Child Care Resource & Referral

Website

https://childcarehelp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Child Care Resource & Referral (CCRR) is a Joliet, Illinois non-profit founded in 1991 that administers the Child Care Assistance Program, Early Head Start, and provider training across seven Illinois counties, serving families and licensed childcare providers through state-funded programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Care Social Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ)

Keywords

• Child care referral services
• Early childhood education
• Child care assistance
• Professional development training
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Joliet

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: CCRR operates as a non-profit funded primarily through Illinois state government programs including the Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois State Board of Education, and Smart Start Illinois initiative. Funding supports childcare workforce grants, early intervention programs, and home visiting services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Child Care Resource & Referral is a Joliet, Illinois-based nonprofit that administers the state Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), provides child care referrals to families, and delivers professional development, training, and early childhood programming to licensed child care providers across a seven-county region in northeastern Illinois. The organization has operated as a community-based child care resource hub since 1991, supporting both families seeking care and providers seeking credentialing and operational support.

Product overview

Child Care Resource & Referral (CCRR) is a regional agency operating as a unified service delivery model that connects families to child care through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and child care referral services. The organization administers multiple interconnected programs including Early Head Start (0-3), Preschool for All & Expansion (3-5), and Social Emotional Learning Facilitation. CCR&R provides professional development through continuing education webinars and the Higher Ed Navigator Program, including the ECACE Grant for degree pursuit. The agency also manages community grants including Smart Start Illinois (with Child Care Workforce Grants, Home Visiting Program expansion, and Early Intervention programs), Healing Illinois, and Health Equity initiatives. Additional services include support for providers starting a child care business, program grants, funding opportunities, and consultant access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Administration
• Child Care Referrals for Families
• Provider Professional Development and Training
• Early Childhood Programming

Quantifiable outcome

• 650,000 families served in seven county area
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois Department of Human ServicescoreOthersPrimary government funding partner providing Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) administration and support through the Division of Early Childhood (IDHS-DEC)
• Illinois State Board of EducationcoreOthersGovernment partner supporting preschool programs and early childhood education initiatives
• Infant Early Head StartcoreOthersFederal early childhood program administered through CCRR to support infants and toddlers from low-income families
• Illinois GatewayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois professional development registry for early childhood educators; CCRR provides Gateways-approved training courses and reports completed training hours
• Star NetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional early childhood professional development network providing training resources; CCRR partners to offer webinars to providers

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Child Care Services Association (North Carolina): North Carolina CCR&R organization providing referrals, training, and child care subsidy administration; directly comparable in mission and operational structure to CCRR but operating in a different state.
• Child Care Resource Center (CCRC): California-based child care resource and referral agency providing provider training, family referrals, and subsidy administration; a peer organization executing the same R&R functions in a different geographic market.
• Childcare Resources (Indianapolis): Indianapolis-based child care resource and referral agency offering provider training, family referrals, and early childhood education support; comparable regional R&R model in a different state.
• Starting Point for Child Care: Cleveland-based CCR&R agency providing child care referrals, provider training, and early childhood program administration; operates the same R&R model as CCRR but in a different state.

Direct peers

• Illinois Action for Children: Chicago-based child care resource, referral, and family support organization delivering CCAP-adjacent services, professional development, and family assistance programs in Illinois — directly comparable in mission and funding model.
• Ounce of Prevention Fund: Illinois-based early childhood organization administering home visiting, Early Head Start, and family support programs; a direct peer to CCRR's Early Head Start and family-facing programs in the same state.
• Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA): Statewide umbrella coordinating Illinois's regional CCR&R agencies; CCRR is a member agency and direct functional peer delivering the same core resource/referral and training services under shared state contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Child Care Aware of America: National CCR&R network coordinating local referral and training agencies across the U.S. CCRR functions as a local affiliate implementing the same Child Care Aware service model and standards at the regional level.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): National professional organization for early childhood educators; sets the standards and accreditation frameworks that CCRR's training programs align to and report against via Illinois Gateways.
• Voices for Illinois Children: Illinois advocacy and policy organization focused on child welfare and early childhood; an adjacent stakeholder working on the same state funding streams and policy environment that support CCRR's programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chcareoptions
• Facebookfacebook.com/childcareresourceandreferral

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Child Care Resource & Referral