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The rising interest in the implications of early childhood experiences for children's development later in life has brought with it a greater focus on early childhood care and education programs. Policy makers have become interested in how these programs operate and in understanding how they impact on the healthy development of children. With increased interest has come the recognition that operational aspects affect their capacity to offer administratively stable, financially viable and high quality programming to families with young children. In this environment, the Vancouver Child Care Regional Delivery Model Pilot Project (VCCRDMPP) was developed in order to bring operators of large child care and education programs together to explore ways to increase the administrative effectiveness of their programs and to consider the development of a coordinated planning system for child care programs in Vancouver. The Vancouver Child Care Regional Delivery Model Pilot Project (VCCRDMPP) is one of several Strategic Initiatives Projects in BC jointly funded by Human Resources Development Canada and the British Columbia Ministry for Children & Families. operating from June 1, 1995 through March 31, 1999. This four year pilot project was "directed at addressing long-standing concerns about the lack of effective, consistent and coordinated administrative structures and practices within the child care sector in Vancouver" (VCCRDMPP Project Proposal, 1995). As the VCCRDMPP proposal explained, the approximately 140 organizations that delivered child care and education programs in Vancouver tended to be isolated from each other with few informal or formal structures for coming together to facilitate cooperative and efficient management, proactive strategies or city-wide planning. The VCCRDMPP proposal stated that the pilot project would "enhance the collective capacity of Vancouver's child care community to develop and deliver a child care system that provides quality, accessible, and affordable child care for all families and children." The original project proposal identified two overall purposes and seven broad goals for VCCRDMPP.
Goals:
Early in Year One of the Project, the Quarterly Program Progress Report indicates that the following two additional goals were added to the original six goals. It is probable that these were added in order to address Strategic Initiative requirements.
Quarterly reports from Years One and Two indicated that project work focused on the development of the Project structure for VCCRDMPP as well as on the achievement of its goals. The development of internal organizational structures was an essential and integral part of the Project itself given the context of eighteen organizations coming together for the first time to work towards common goals. Although the development of these functional aspects of the project was not articulated as a project goal, some aspects of this process have been documented in the report, A Process Evaluation. Strategic Initiatives (1996). During Year One, VCCRDMPP members worked together with the Ministry and the City to structure a unique set of legal agreements for the Project that entrenched the collaborative nature of the Project partnerships and assured accountability of funds. They also worked together to identify the specific requirement of the Project for coordination and then to recruit a Project Coordinator. When the Coordinator was engaged in November 1995, VCCRDMPP began to develop its Policies and Protocols Manual which outlined the required elements for an effective working relationship among Project participants. The manual articulated processes for terms of reference for members, decision making processes, attendance requirements, relationships with other child care providers, communications, confidentiality and publication of reports and other project documents. During this same period, VCCRDMPP worked towards achieving its articulated goals through identification of common issues and challenges. Professional and leadership development was identified as a critical area for Project attention . VCCRDMPP also participated in comprehensive discussions with the Ministry evaluator to develop measurable outcomes for Project activities that were consistent with Project goals. At the same time VCCRDMPP was challenged to fit within the provincial Regional Delivery Model and Strategic Initiative outcomes identified by the funders. In interviews and focus groups members noted that the VCCRDMPP proposal was developed and negotiated prior to the completion of the Federal-Provincial agreement for Strategic Initiatives Projects and before the Regional Delivery Model and the Strategic Initiatives outcome frameworks which were not confirmed until Year Four of the Project. This ongoing evolution of outcomes and the subsequent need to undertake a delayed matching of the various sets of goals and outcomes created some difficulties throughout the four years of the Project. Early in Year Three, the funder and VCCRDMPP agreed that the Project would engage a third party evaluation consultant to implement Project evaluation with a focus on the Project outcomes. At this time goals and outcomes were specified for each of the four components of VCCRDMPP for Years Three and Four: the Regional Umbrella Group, the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project, the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project and the Administrative Partnerships Pilot Project. Participants in each of the four VCCRDMPP components worked with the contracted Evaluation Consultant to develop a set of outcomes related to both Project activities and the Strategic Initiatives Outcomes Evaluation Framework. Evaluation processes in the final two years of the project focused on understanding and articulating how and the extent to which these outcomes were addressed. Project Components The Vancouver Child Care Regional Delivery Model Pilot Project was composed of four components each with its own set of goals and outcomes. These components were:
Regional Umbrella Group The Regional Umbrella Group was intended to bring operators of large child care programs together to explore ways to develop coordinated management, administrative and financial strategies and structures and to work towards the development of a coordinated planning system for child care in Vancouver. The Regional Umbrella Group consisted of representatives of 18 Vancouver based child care organizations: 14 direct child care providers, 2 programs of Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre, City of Vancouver Social Planning and the BC Ministry for Children and Families. The Vancouver based child care organizations that participated in RUG included twelve multi-service or single purpose child care operators and two child care support services. Each of the operators had at least five licensed child care programs or a minimum of 120 licensed child care spaces. The two smaller stand alone, parent-managed child care societies, when combined, operated five child care programs. The two child care support services were Child Care Financial and Administrative Services and Child Care INFORM, both programs of Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. Collingwood Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project The Collingwood Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project was intended to develop a semi-decentralized administrative model for the coordination and delivery of the Neighbourhood House's child care services. Currently, infant/toddler, group care for 3-5 year olds, school age and preschool programs are located at the Neighbourhood House along with the Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral Program (CCRR) and the One Stop Access Strategic Initiative Project (OSA). Preschool, school-age, and 3-5 year old group care programs are located at four other sites within the Collingwood neighbourhood. This demonstration project tested a management model which explored placing the administrative and managerial locus of responsibility within each individual child care program with general child care coordination and support provided through the overall management structure of the Neighbourhood House. Kiwassa Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project The Kiwassa Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project was intended to develop a Hub model of coordination and delivery of the Neighbourhood House's child care programs and services. Currently, a 3-5 year old group program is located at the Neighbourhood House along with the Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral Program (CCRR), the One Stop Access Strategic Initiative Project (OSA), and the Vancouver Supported Child Care Services Society. Group care for 3-5 year olds, school age and preschool programs are located at four other sites within the Kiwassa neighbourhood. This demonstration project explored various management models and administrative options to enhance the existing Kiwassa Child Care Hub Model. It also facilitated further development of a continuum of child care services to meet the particular needs of families in the Hastings-Sunrise and Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhoods. Administrative Partnership Pilot Project The Administrative Partnership Pilot Project, (formerly known as the Amalgamated Partnership Project), was intended to explore administrative models that through increased administrative efficiencies could serve to stabilize "stand-alone" child care centres which are often characterized by administrative and financial fragility. A "stand-alone" child care centre can be defined as an independent child care organization whose single purpose is the provision of child care services and is not affiliated with or supported by other community based agencies. "Stand-alone" centres are operated by separate non-profit societies and are administered by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of parents with children enrolled in that Society's child care program. Early in this Project City Hall Child Care Society was partnered with Mount Pleasant Child Care Society to explore ways to stabilize stand alone child care centres through a shared administrator and possible amalgamation of centres. Mount Pleasant Child Care Society withdrew from the Project after the first year. Following the withdrawal of Mount Pleasant Child Care Society, a new approach which no longer focused on amalgamation as the sole means to address stability of stand-alone child care centres was developed. The Administrative Partnership Project currently involves three partner groups: two "stand-alone" child care centres, Pooh Corner Child Care Society and City Hall Child Care Society, and a support program for "stand-alone" centres, Child Care Financial and Administrative Services, a program of Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. Using a collaborative approach involving the three partner groups, this project explored ways to reduce management pressures on these types of child care programs over the long term by strengthening their administrative, managerial and financial planning structures. This was tested by the two participating child care societies and was to serve as a learning tool for the benefit of similar centres in the future.
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