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Component 1: Regional Umbrella Group (RUG) 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. Representatives of the child care organizations came from:
The large multi-service or single purpose child care organizations participating in RUG included:
The stand alone, parent-managed child care societies participating in RUG included:
Regional Umbrella Group members participated in full-day quarterly meetings beginning in the fall of 1995 and continuing throughout the four years. The purpose of these quarterly meetings was to share information regarding the activities of RUG Committees and each of the Demonstration Projects as well as information about other government and community-based child care initiatives. RUG members and other VCCRDMPP partners also participated on one or more standing and/or ad hoc RUG Committees to concentrate on specific Project activities such as professional and leadership development, financial strategies, data collection, facility maintenance, regional planning for child care and interface with the child protection system. Each RUG Committee met as frequently as required. Members also participated in a number of full day sessions for project planning and review. Goals of RUG
RUG Expected Outcomes RUG had three major groups of expected outcomes, each with a subset of intermediate outcomes which are considered to be indicators of progress toward the major outcome. This report draws upon information from the data sources identified earlier to determine RUG's progress toward its own specific expected outcomes. The schematic below shows how the intermediate outcomes work together to affect each of the expected outcome groups. The report then discusses each of the intermediate outcomes as part of its outcome group. Group One Outcomes: Reduced Isolation of RUG Members RUG provided regular opportunities for contact amongst its members over an extended period of time, and created an environment where activities related to the three subsets of outcomes could together serve to reduce isolation of RUG members. Regular contact occurred both formally through the regularly scheduled quarterly meetings and many Committee meetings as well as informally through individual communication by telephone and personal contact at community events. The ongoing and purposeful contact amongst RUG members which was an inherent part of the RUG structure and its activities created an environment where trust developed amongst participants. Although not identified as a RUG outcome, the development of trust amongst RUG members was an essential element in each of the subset outcomes that contributed to the major outcome of reduced isolation amongst RUG members. During formal meetings RUG members had opportunities to share information, raise issues of common concern, support each other's efforts to improve professional practice and develop mechanisms to strengthen linkages among programs and develop coordinated responses as required. Interviews with RUG members uncovered metaphors for RUG members' experiences with the project which suggested a shared sense of reduced isolation and a sense of "togetherness":
"Building Block Process" "A boat in stormy seas" "A train ride with unanticipated stops a long the way" "A lifeboat" "Mat of many colours" "Weaving a web" Reduced isolation was both a product of and a prerequisite for RUG's three related subsets of project outcomes. These outcomes are discussed below:
Coordinated responses to common issues and challenges There were several illustrations which suggested that RUG met this outcome. Reduced isolation of child care organizations created the potential for working together in response to issues and challenges which were shared by many. As a result of the trust which developed over the course of RUG, group members became increasingly willing to divulge their own organization's challenges. From this sharing of experiences arose opportunities for group problem-solving and coordinated responses to common issues. This resulted in a set of discussions and documents which over the course of the project helped to identify and priorize many shared issues. Some of these issues were:
RUG contributed to the development of coordinated responses to specific issues amongst several child care organizations typically through involvement in a four-step process which involved:
Among the coordinated responses of RUG to common challenges is the following example: RUG participants became aware that many organization had experienced similar types of difficult interactions with the Ministry for Children and Families (MCF) regarding child protection cases. As a result RUG members took their shared child welfare issues to the MCF Regional Operating Agency for mutual problem-solving with the Regional Operating Officer and Contract Manager. This meeting resulted in an agreement that RUG and the Regional Operating Agency would work together to develop standard protocols for child protection issues relevant to child care programs. Increased information sharing, support and mentoring Of all the aspects of the RUG Project, RUG participants seemed to value most the exchange of information which was facilitated through RUG quarterly meetings and other Project activities. Virtually all RUG participants reported that RUG had facilitated an increase in their ability to network with other child care operators which they felt would continue to benefit child care for years to come. Beyond basic information sharing, RUG members expressed appreciation for the support and learning that had come from other RUG members when they raised specific issues of concern which were affecting their centres. RUG members also had greater access to information related to both child care and the broader social services sector than they had had prior to the Project. The VCCRDMPP Coordinator regularly circulated a wide range of documents to all RUG members including the quarterly reports from all four components of VCCRDMPP and updates on the work of all RUG Committees as well as many other articles of interest. Much of this was information which otherwise would not have been systematically distributed to such a large number of child care programs. It was not surprising to find that the information sharing, support and mentoring functions of RUG were most appreciated by those RUG members who were either new to the field or had recently taken on managerial responsibilities within their organizations. These individuals reported that the access to more experienced child care managers that had developed through the atmosphere of openness and willingness to help others that RUG had created had provided them with unique opportunities to learn. These less experienced members reported because of their RUG relationships they now felt at liberty to call on their more experienced colleagues in situations where they would not have previously done so. RUG members who brought with them a greater depth and breadth of experience also found the exchange of information to be valuable. Some reported that RUG was an unusual situation where information exchange was expected and so they were more likely to feel comfortable sharing management information related to their particular organization. They also noted that they generally thought that this exchange of information resulted in mutual benefits to all RUG participants. This is not to say that individual decision-making about what information to share was easy. The "uneasy tension of interests" which is inherent in most cross-organizational information sharing processes tended to reoccur from time to time throughout this Project. RUG members noted that having signed an agreement that specified information sharing as a condition of participation in the Project had been a critical factor in encouraging the sharing of information. Strengthened linkages with programs, agencies and institutions that provide training, mentoring and support RUG members recognized that for networking and mentoring to be effective in the broad child care community beyond RUG, it was necessary to draw upon and work collaboratively with other programs, agencies and institutions in the community who were mandated to undertake and sustain such activities. Some RUG members identified that progress had been made toward this outcome through their increased knowledge and use of resources available through Child Care INFORM and other programs at Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. During Year Three of the Project, RUG members invited representatives from these community-based programs, the Lower Mainland colleges with ECCE training programs and then Ministry of Skills, Training and Labour to meet to identify the training and mentoring options that already existed and to explore further development of such opportunities. The result was the formation of a Committee to undertake further exploration of the development of child care management training at the college level. This led to a proposal for a community based model for college accredited child care management training that emphasized a strong relationship between colleges and child care organizations. The proposed training model drew on specific learnings from the RUG Cross-organizational Management Training series. Participants in that training were very positive about the training's focus on broad child care management issues, the use of a child care program specific problem-solving approach and the employer support for staff to attend through the provision of release time. A training proposal is currently being prepared for submission by Vancouver Community College with the support of RUG and other training colleges. Group Two Outcomes: Increased Capacity to Plan Child Care Services Within the RUG Project, the notion of planning child care services was used in the following two ways:
Almost all RUG members reported that their participation in the RUG Project had increased their capacity to plan child care services within their own organization. The data indicates that all direct service organizations in RUG had to some degree developed more effective planning and management of their child care programs. Progress toward planning of child care services in Vancouver was slower than hoped for during the RUG Project. The reorganization of the former Ministry of Social Services and the formation of the new Regional Operating Agencies for the Ministry for Children and Families and the subsequent delay in identifying the MCF "Child Care Contact" for the Vancouver Region strongly affected RUG's ability to address this issue. In addition, it was unclear as to whether RUG had a mandate or the authority to plan child care for Vancouver. Many RUG members expressed disappointment that the Project had not expanded to include operators from the continuum of child care providers in Vancouver. At the end of Year Three RUG held a "Think Tank" to discuss some of the initial questions and issues concerning the formation of a Vancouver Regional Planning Structure. This day long meeting was attended by the newly appointed MCF Child Care Contact, the Vancouver Regional Operating Officer, many RUG members and a few non-RUG child care providers in Vancouver. RUG members expressed disappointment that while invitations were sent to child care providers based on representation from all geographic networks and the broad continuum of regulated child care, this broad representation was not reflected in actual attendance. RUG stated that the purpose of the meeting was "to provide opportunities for the Vancouver child care community and the Regional Operating Agency of the Ministry for Children and Families to work collaboratively for the development of an ongoing planning structure." By the end of the day long session, discussion had taken place regarding potential purposes, roles and activities of such a planning group. It became clear that further discussion was needed to focus on the fundamental question of whether a regional planning group was necessary or, indeed, desirable, and to further define the relationship between such a group and the Regional Operating Agency. During the early part of Year Four, a RUG Committee was formed to:
This Committee held five three-hour meetings where participants clarified terms, discussed possible functions of existing Vancouver groups and developed a list of functions not currently carried out by other groups in Vancouver. Two documents, one entitled Recommendations for a Regional Child Care Process and a second called Thoughts on Group Functions resulted. The Committee concluded that a child care planning body initiated by MCF would be the most effective option for Vancouver. The Committee made specific recommendations regarding the structure, composition and functions of such a body. Recommendations were unanimously adopted by the VCCRDMPP membership at the Quarterly meeting in October 1998 and submitted to MCF. These two documents were disseminated to child care providers and child care related groups and organizations in Vancouver with a suggestion that groups submit their own recommendations to MCF. Increased effective and timely decision making The timing of the RUG Project was identified as being important for some RUG participants in their own organizational planning processes. During latter years of the Project, RUG participants, like all community-based groups, were affected by numerous initiatives that occurred within the broad context of social services in the province as well as within the child care field itself. Such initiatives included Contract and Program Restructuring Processes of the Ministry for Children and Families and the transition to Supported Child Care. Many RUG members participated in numerous discussion groups and on a variety of planning committees regarding these and other provincial and local issues. As a result, RUG members reported that because all these "tables" provided them with information, they could not determine the extent to which more effective and timely decision making in their own organizations was attributable only to the work of RUG. Improved capacity for financial planning Activities of the RUG Project contributed to some improved ability of RUG participants to understand the financial picture of their own child care program. An important activity which contributed to this improved capacity for financial planning was the work done with RUG members by two consultants, Lynell Anderson from Westcoast Consulting Services and Gavin Perryman from Gavin Perryman & Associates. This work had two main components. The first component involved RUG members in providing information through a questionnaire about the overall financial picture of their own child care programs. RUG members also held workshops to discuss the findings of the questionnaire. Analysis started with infant/toddler programs and progressed to include analysis of 3-5 group care and school age programs. From this process some common terms were developed for financial categories and reporting, there was an awareness of the typical costs related to operating child care programs and an understanding of some effective strategies for financial management of child care programs. The following documents were produced as part of this financial analysis work. Following the release of the final report RUG members came together in a one day session to discuss implications of the findings as related to overall financial viability of child care programs. This report pointed out that while the information collected through this research provided a picture of the range of costs in Vancouver, a determination of the actual cost of the care provided by RUG child care programs could not be made. The report indicated that the diversity among RUG organizations rendered comparisons between them virtually impossible. At the same time, RUG members reported that the documents and the financial analysis workshops increased their understanding of the financial aspects of their programs. In addition, RUG members also noted that while they had not yet seen benefits from RUG related data collection activities, they were expecting the new processes now being developed collaboratively by RUG and Child Care INFORM would improve their individual capacity for financial planning. RUG members felt that a logical step following from the completed financial analysis work was to develop a workbook to assist individual child care programs in understanding and developing financial sustainability. The Project contracted with Anderson and Perryman to develop this workbook and to work with three RUG organizations to pilot the suggested process. The consultants assisted the organizations to explore each program's financial picture. The learnings related to the suggested process were then incorporated into the workbook. This workbook is expected to be released by the end of Year Four. In preparation for this work the organizations signed a special agreement to ensure that all information divulged for the purpose of this analysis would remain confidential. Organizations felt this to be crucial as financial information is considered very sensitive and strictly private. At the same time RUG is obligated to make its learnings widely known so that all other child care organizations can benefit from its activities. As the workbook has not yet been released its usefulness could not be determined for the purposes of this evaluation report. It appears, however, that there is the potential for this workbook to be an important tool in increasing organizations' capacity for financial planning. Participation in RUG assisted some group members in very concrete ways related to their particular financial realities. The Vancouver School Board Cost Recovery Initiative was one such example. In the spring of 1997 the Vancouver School Board announced that beginning in September of that year it would collect cost recovery fees from all programs operating on school property including licensed before and after school child care programs. RUG disseminated accurate and comprehensive information about this initiative efficiently and effectively to all its members. The provision of timely information helped RUG members engage in informed financial planning in response to the financial crisis precipitated by the School Board Cost Recovery Initiative. Both informal discussions and formal financial analysis and planning activities continually reminded RUG participants of the financial fragility of child care programs. In addition to their own struggles, they were faced with the very real examples of programs in Vancouver which were forced to close because of financial crisis. Such reminders prompted RUG participants to want to advocate as a group to government for increased funding and new funding mechanisms for child care. Improved understanding of program viability factors RUG members indicated that while they had been aware of many of the factors that determine the viability of child care programs, RUG activities had confirmed or enhanced their understanding. Some RUG members identified that the trends analysis document, Child Care Programs Trends and Changes Forces At Play (1997) and the workshops held to develop and discuss this document had been very useful to them as tools for review and planning of both child care programs and their overall organization. Intended to be an educational tool to assist those with an interest in planning child care services, this document included a discussion of demographic and employment trends, government policy shifts and the changing needs of families and communities. RUG members indicated that while they thought that some of the factors related to viability of child care programs had not been explored deeply enough to answer their questions, the documents had articulated the barriers to sustainability, identified the extent to which organizations subsidized child care programs and challenged some assumptions about why programs are not sustainable. Increased time spent on strategic planning Nearly half of RUG participants reported that their organizations had taken steps toward increasing time spent on strategic planning due to their participation in RUG. This included working with staff in long range planning for child care services. At the same time other individuals were cautious about attributing newly acquired knowledge and skills related to strategic planning only to RUG because such planning had generally assumed a higher profile in the community as a result of other initiatives. They did, however, identify that RUG had at least had a part to play in increasing understanding of planning processes through its information sharing and networking functions. Group Three Outcomes: Increased Capacity To Manage Child Care Services One of RUG's primary outcomes was to increase the management capacity of its members with regards to their child care programs. Several activities related to this outcome were planned and implemented during the Project period including a formal Management Training Series for staff of RUG organizations, a series of cost analysis workshops for RUG members and regular opportunities for both formal and informal discussion about general organizational management issues. It was not surprising to find that those RUG members who were most enthusiastic about the activities related to this outcome were, for the most part, those RUG participants with the least managerial experience. RUG members with more management experience reported they felt sufficiently supported with regards to management issues by existing child care support services such as Westcoast Child care Resource Center and its associated programs such as Child Care INFORM, and the City Child Care Coordinator. A few RUG members said they thought that RUG was not the appropriate venue for either basic or advanced management training. This broad outcome involves five related subsets of outcomes:
Increased number of staff with basic management skills During its first year RUG elected to develop a coordinated approach for the development of professional and leadership skills amongst child care staff in RUG organizations. RUG contracted with an independent consultant Gavin Perryman to conduct a series of focus groups with staff from RUG organizations, non-RUG stand-alone child care centres and other child care providers in Vancouver to identify current and future needs for ongoing professional development and training for child care staff. Participants in these sessions responded very positively to this opportunity to share concerns and ideas regarding ongoing training. Some participants expressed excitement about possible training opportunities becoming available through the RUG Project. From these discussions a paper entitled Management and Leadership in the Child Care Field: Reflections on Training Needs and Issues (1996) was prepared. One of the needs identified in this paper was management training for senior supervisory staff in child care programs. This led to the Cross-Organizational Management Training Series sponsored by RUG during Year Three and a set of follow-up sessions in the final year of the project. The training program and follow up discussions addressed several management related issues including human resources management, financial management, program planning, program evaluation and nonprofit governance as well as broad child care issues. Sixteen child care staff from eleven RUG organizations participated in six full day sessions held between October 1997 and March 1998 and twenty-two staff from two additional organizations joined the original group for four follow-up sessions. RUG members were very positive about positive changes in the management skills of those program staff who had participated in the management training series. They identified that staff had gained skills and seemed more confident in their management roles. Training participants reported that the trust that had developed during the training series had enabled them to discuss the actual administrative issues they were encountering in their own workplaces. In addition, a support network had formed among participants many felt would be of continuing benefit after the training series itself had ended. Some RUG members recounted that staff who had participated in the training series had shared ideas they had learned from the training with their organization. This discussion raised the expected management standards benefiting not only those who had attended the training but all staff within the program. The Project Coordinator reported that a workbook is currently being developed which will include resource material and exercises from the Cross-Organizational Management Training Series sponsored by RUG. The workbook is expected to be released by the end of Year Four. Increased number of staff with advanced management skills The interim evaluation report indicated that at the end of Year Three, RUG members were evenly split regarding the degree to which they felt this outcome had been met; about half thought the number of child care staff with advanced level management skills had increased, while the other half reported little, if any, change. Analysis of responses shows that, as with the change in basic management skills, those who reported the highest degree of positive effect were those managers who were either previously inexperienced managers or new to the child care field. Most RUG participants reported that their involvement in RUG had some impact on their own child care management skills. Other RUG members noted that while their skills may not have increased, their profile as managers within their own organizations had been enhanced through RUG. Most RUG members reported that RUG activities had broadened their awareness and understanding of child care issues and hence, provided them with more information upon which to base management decisions. They valued opportunities to share concerns and issues with others in the child care delivery system, and some noted that they felt less isolated when learning others faced similar management challenges. Some participants noted that while RUG had had positive impacts on child care management within their own organizations, there was a need to provide similar support to other child care operators in the community. They identified the need for a formal structure to promote and support relationships amongst managers of child care programs that would contribute to a general improvement in management capacity in the child care field. Improved staff scheduling A sizable majority of RUG participants reported in interviews and focus groups that this outcome had not been addressed during the Project but that it was an important issue in the management of child care programs. The few who did report some effects on staff scheduling saw this as a result of changes implemented by staff who had compared and analyzed staff schedules as part of the curriculum of the Cross Organizational Management Training Series sponsored by RUG. Reduced time spent by senior management in supervising and training other staff Almost all RUG members reported very little, if any, reduction in time spent by senior management in supervising and training other staff. Many even reported an increase in time spent in these activities. They explained that an increased awareness of the management needs of programs results in more time allocated to management, not less. Reduced time spent on management of individual programs Some RUG members reported that as a result of their own participation in RUG, they experienced improvement in some of their own management functions as a result of having had access to the specific information that enabled them to accomplish particular tasks in a more timely way. A large majority of RUG members reported that their participation in RUG had not resulted in reduced time spent on management of individual programs. Rather, in many cases program managers reported that they were spending more time managing as a result of their increased awareness of the management needs of the programs. Members also reported increased time spent in discussions with program staff in order to make the organization more efficient. This finding was important to RUG members as an indication of the actual management needs of child care and the related costs for child care programs. RUG: Discussion and Lessons Learned The Regional Umbrella Group (RUG) made significant strides towards reducing the isolation of member organizations. Through increased networking and information sharing amongst RUG members participants feel "more connected" to the overall delivery of child care in Vancouver. Through the myriad of ongoing and ad hoc Committees, both organizational and individual relationships formed and/or were strengthened. RUG members anticipate that these relationships will have an ongoing positive impact on the child care delivery system in Vancouver. RUG members' increased familiarity with other child care organizations who shared their commitment towards improving the delivery of child care services in the city contributed to a new sense of cohesion amongst RUG organizations. All members reported that while they each had previously had a small network of support prior to RUG, this support had increased and they expected it to continue past the conclusion of the RUG Project. It is important to note that the networking which created this sense of support is more likely to occur within a structure of regular meetings such as those that were planned and implemented as part of RUG. The coordination of activities by the RUG Coordinator also facilitated the building of the "knowledge base." The organization of meetings, administrative assistance to committees, distribution and collation of surveys to RUG members, preparation of documents for review and dissemination of information was fundamental to the work of the Project. Without this structure, it may be very difficult for child care organizations to sustain the level of networking that has occurred during the RUG Project. Some members speculated that without the RUG structure, some organizations may notice a reduction in peer support and information sharing, and may need to increase their individual contact with the City Child Care Coordinator to acquire the information they need. Others noted that they anticipated increasing their use of the smaller support network they had utilized prior to RUG. The Year Four RUG workplan included the intention to discuss the sustainability of some aspects of the Project at the conclusion of Strategic Initiatives. A committee of interested RUG members was formed to discuss this initiative. RUG contributed to the building of a common knowledge base about child care issues. Participation in RUG increased information-sharing and most members reported that through RUG they have broadened their own awareness and understanding of child care issues and had more information upon which to base management decisions. However, RUG members had some difficulty linking their increased knowledge to RUG specifically. Many RUG members were involved in other concurrent community child care planning processes such as Supported Child Care and the Ministry for Children and Families Contract And Program Restructuring Process and reported that their learning had been cumulative through all of these processes and not necessarily attributable only to RUG. RUG contributed to increased capacity to plan child care services.
RUG contributed to an increased capacity to manage child care programs. Component 2: Collingwood Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project The Collingwood Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project involved the development of a semi-decentralized model of management and administration of its child care programs. The project facilitated maintenance of the uniqueness of each child care programs while simultaneously moving toward coordinated administrative and management practices. It is a model which builds on a concept of continuum of care and utilizes the ability of individual programs to administer and manage their own programs while remaining integrated with other child care and family support programs sponsored by the Neighbourhood House. The goal was to support the ability of child care programs to provide quality child care and meet the needs of children and families for other kinds of support services.. By the fall of 1995, child care services at Collingwood had undergone rapid expansion from three off-site child care programs in two different locations to twelve child care programs, six based at the new Neighbourhood House facility and six others off-site at four different locations. Currently, infant/toddler, group care for 3-5 year olds, kindercare 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. In total this represented approximately 300 child care spaces with a staff compliment of close to 50 individuals. This growth required the Neighbourhood House to develop management structures that would meet the needs of the child care component of this large and complex organization and provide adequate support to its child care programs and its other community services. At this time, child care functioned as a separate department of the Neighbourhood House under the direction of the Children's Services Director. The Children's Services Director was one of three Directors who reported directly to the Neighbourhood House Executive Director. Each child care program had its own Program Coordinator and an Assistant Coordinator. In examining its management structure in 1996, the Neighbourhood House concluded that although its existing structure worked well for managing rapid growth, the start up of new programs and direct support to staff, it was also "top heavy" and therefore very costly. A long range commitment was made to move to a team-based management approach, reduce the number of management positions, and devolve responsibility for decision-making as far down the organization as possible. The end goal was the implementation of a "fully integrated service delivery model." This model was described as a coordinated approach to the planning, development and delivery of all services within the organization. It included a commitment to increasing staff capacity and responsibility for management as well as providing the necessary training and support for staff to effectively assume management and administrative functions. A management structure was put in place that assigned the responsibility for the day-to-day operations of child care to three Coordinators, each responsible for services to a particular age group of children. This interim plan was consistent with the House's philosophy and values which were related to decentralized decision-making and opportunities for individual growth and learning. It was felt that the interim plan would move the House closer to its goal of a fully integrated service delivery model. An interim part-time director was hired to support the Coordinators with the intention that this position would be phased out over a period of approximately one year. However, within a few months this position was eliminated from the structure as it was not working as effectively as planned. The Executive Director of Operations explained that there was some question of whether such a management position could be effective on a part-time basis. By the Spring of 1998 responsibility for the overall management of child care was located under the auspices of the Community Services Director. One Child Care Coordinator was responsible for the day-to-day operations of House-based child care programs and a second responsible for day-to-day operations of off-site child care programs. Each child care program had an assistant coordinator who was allocated some "off floor" hours each week to attend to that program's administrative needs. The Child Care Coordinators Team which included the Assistant Coordinators met bi-weekly to discuss and resolve operational issues. The Child Care Coordinators also met monthly with all other Collingwood Program Coordinators as part of the Neighbourhood House Management Team.
Collingwood Project Outcomes
The Executive Director of Operations represented Collingwood at all RUG Quarterly meetings and was involved in a host of RUG sponsored meetings and activities throughout the Project. She reported that these meetings were very helpful for information sharing and for initiating group response to child care issues. However, she indicated that because the rapid growth at Collingwood outpaced the RUG Project, her professional development from participation in RUG was minimal. In addition, available data suggests that Collingwood did not engage in new activities which would not have been ventured into prior to RUG. This may also have been due to Collingwood's rapid pace of growth at the time. During Year Three Collingwood child care staff participated in a series of in-house management training sessions delivered by a training consultant. This training was part of Collingwood's overall organizational direction and training plan, not RUG initiated. Because of the success of this training, this consultant was subsequently engaged by RUG to provide a similar training program for RUG members. Because the RUG training series was similar to the Collingwood series, Collingwood staff did not attend the RUG sponsored Cross Organization Management Training Series. As a result, the professional development of staff in Collingwood Child Care programs was not strongly impacted by RUG's professional development activities. It is noted that Collingwood staff did attend Phase Two of the Cross Organization Management Training Series and benefited from the learning and networking at these sessions. The Collingwood Executive Director of Operations made two presentations to RUG members during Year Three describing the management model being developed for Collingwood child care programs. She also gave regular updates to RUG from the Collingwood Project Quarterly Reports describing Project activities to RUG members and highlighting emerging issues and barriers. During Year Three RUG members did have some opportunity to respond to and discuss the Demonstration Project, but Collingwood received minimal feedback from RUG members regarding their organizational model.
During Year Three of the Project, all Assistant Coordinators of Collingwood Child Care Programs participated in a management training series sponsored by the Neighborhood House. The training was intended to provide the specific skills required to effectively perform the administration and management tasks typical of child care centres. The training also provided participants with an understanding of some broad management issues that are common to child care programs and to the larger realm of non-profit agencies. In addition, Collingwood Child Care Coordinators benefited from participation in a management training series for all Neighbourhood House Coordinators. This training series facilitated greater cohesion of child care programs within the continuum of Neighbourhood house programs and services. Collingwood's Assistant Coordinators reported a high degree of satisfaction with both the training series and the on-going support they received from the Neighbourhood House. They had also attended several other Collingwood sponsored workshops on management related topics including Performance Review Processes, Stress Management, Anti-Bias and Multicultural Education and Security and Safety Policies as well as more general topics like Domestic Violence, Street Smart Training and Food Safe. All staff interviewed reported feeling more confident in their Assistant Coordinator role and more capable of effectively fulfilling the job requirements as a result of this training. The Assistant Coordinators also indicated a high level of satisfaction with the support they received on a daily basis from the Neighbourhood House with respect to effective management of child care programs. Staff reported they benefited from peer support and from the assistance offered by their own Program Coordinator who was available to discuss specific issues when needed. They also appreciated the emphasis House management had put on reducing the isolation of staff working in off-site child care programs through regular meetings with Coordinators and the Community Services Director where they could network with colleagues and participate in discussions about neighbourhood child care issues and Neighbourhood House child care policies. Assistant Coordinators also reported feeling supported in their work through direct relationships with a broad range of individuals and programs including foster parents of children in their programs, social workers of children in programs, licensing officers (regarding proper procedures and regulations) and the Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral Program. They noted in particular the importance of One Stop Access staff at Collingwood in supporting their programs in relationship to child care subsidy authorizations. With approximately 80% of parents in Collingwood programs receiving child care subsidy, staff are keenly aware of the value of OSA in providing subsidy information to parents, helping parents apply for child care subsidy and assisting with difficult subsidy issues with the Ministry of Human Resources. In addition to training and support offered at the Neighbourhood House, almost all staff interviewed reported also participating in training at other venues including colleges and Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. They consistently expressed their very strong belief in the value of the ongoing professional development and appreciated the commitment to training that had been made by the Neighbourhood House. While the child care literature clearly ascribes a direct link between caregiver training and the quality of care provided to children, the training identified in this literature is typically focused on child development, health and safety issues and appropriate programming for children. The literature is much "softer" regarding the relationship between the provision of management training and the quality of care provided to children. While the relationship of management training to quality care for children was not directly measured in this Collingwood Project, staff emphasized their reduced feelings of stress and greater sense of confidence in their work at Collingwood as compared with previous work places. This might be considered as contributing to their ability to provide better quality care. Data indicated that Collingwood child care programs made limited use of volunteers. Staff described ongoing challenges related to recruitment and retention of volunteers. One successful placement where there was some improved quality of service through a volunteer was noted by staff. This involved a Chinese speaking volunteer who helped by providing interpretation services so that staff and Chinese speaking parents could communicate. This volunteer enabled the program to provide a higher level of service to this family than would have been possible otherwise.
Collingwood concentrated efforts on developing written documents including a Policies and Procedures Manuals and a Family Manual for use by families and staff. The Policies and Procedures manual contains a comprehensive statement regarding enrollment or withdrawal of children as well as transfer of enrolled children from one Collingwood program to another. The intent is to make provision for the smooth transition of families into, between and out of Collingwood programs while at the same time ensuring full enrollment to protect the financial viability of each program. The policies and Procedures document sets priorities for intake and transfer of children to ensure fair access to child care spaces and makes provision for staff supported "gradual entry" processes. A Family Manual was also developed, reviewed and revised by staff during the Project period. This Manual is intended to provide all families with clear and consistent information about the workings of Collingwood child care programs. Having written policies and procedures and a Family Manual ensures that all parents and staff know and operate from the same information. This reduces the likelihood of favoritism or discrimination, and at the same time ensures that appeal mechanisms for resolution of specific difficulties are in place. The Family Manual in particular is user friendly and emphasizes the willingness of Collingwood to support families through stressful transition periods. A group of parents was involved in the early stages of the development of this manual. Constraints related to timing of the development of the manuals and the evaluation process prevented formal determination of parents' satisfaction with the implementation and the results of these policies and procedures. Program staff reported that the existence of these manuals eases the pressure on staff related to decision-making about "the rules" or specific circumstances. During Years Two and Three of its Project Collingwood had planned to form a committee of parents to advise the Neighbourhood House regarding its child care programs. The intention was that because of their involvement with child care staff and other parents in consultation and decision making on these committees, parents would gain knowledge about quality child care and would share this knowledge with other parents and the broader community. To date this committee has not been formed. The Executive Director of Operations described a future plan for the formation of a group of parents who would focus on broad child care issues including child care advocacy.
During the Project the Neighborhood House formalized its wait list process to ensure coordination of lists and equity of access for families to Collingwood child care programs. Staff reported that this waiting list process was an effective beginning toward identifying and documenting community child care needs. Generally, community needs are identified and addressed at the Neighbourhood House through both formal processes and informal discussions with neighbourhood residents. To date these pre-existing processes were not significantly impacted by the Demonstration Project. At the same time, staff at the Neighbourhood House speculate that as Assistant Coordinators for each child care program assume additional management responsibilities in both their own child care program and in the overall management of the Neighbourhood House, suggestions made by parents with children in child care programs will have a greater likelihood of being implemented and integrated into the overall programming of the Neighbourhood House. Collingwood's involvement with the consortium of agencies which sponsors the Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral Program and its associated One Stop Access Project is one example of community partnering that helps to meet families' needs. Collingwood child care staff identified that through these programs many parents received much needed information about choosing quality child care, referrals to child care programs and providers to meet their particular needs, and information about and assistance with applying for Child Care Subsidy. Staff in all of Collingwood's child care programs referred to these partner programs as very strong supports in the delivery of child care services which meet family and community needs. Families participating in Collingwood Neighbourhood House child care programs as well as all other House programs complete an evaluation form yearly. Information is compiled and used by the Neighbourhood House to improve program implementation and to ensure programs are meeting the needs of families. The Neighbourhood House also endeavors to include a parent of a child attending a Collingwood child care program on the Board of Directors of the Neighbourhood House. Collingwood: Discussion and Lessons Learned During the time frame of this Demonstration Project, Collingwood Neighbourhood House moved closer to integration of its child care programs into the full spectrum of community services it offers to the community. Since 1995 the House has utilized the financial and human resources made available through the Project to explore several options for management of its child care programs until it evolved to its current integrated management model. House Management sees this integrated management model as a more cost-effective structure which supports the ability of programs to meet the overall needs of children and families. It is a model which builds on and utilizes the ability of individual program staff to administer and manage their unique programs within a system which supports program delivery through links with other child care services and Neighbourhood House programs. The management and leadership training opportunities at Collingwood for child care staff have increased the depth and breadth of management and administrative expertise and confidence amongst Collingwood child care staff. The leadership of the House in the provision of training for its child care staff has contributed to a keen interest amongst child care providers in pursuing additional training opportunities through other venues in the community. Staff consistently express a strong belief in the value of training for their personal development as well as for the quality of care provided to children in child care programs. The current organizational structure functions well in this period of stability at Collingwood. Collingwood staff explain that the current structure would likely not be optimal during a time of organizational growth and change. Through experience, Collingwood staff have learned that development, particularly in the area of child care, requires an extremely high level of leadership and commitment from senior staff. Staff also report that the current structure has the potential to be fragile due to the concentration of administrative and management responsibilities in the Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator positions. When staff turnover occurs, programs may be vulnerable to an insufficient level of program management. Component 3: Kiwassa Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project The Kiwassa Neighbourhood House Demonstration Project focused on both stabilizing its Child Care Hub Model developed during the early 1990s and on the co-development of additional child care services needed in its neighbourhood. Kiwassa refined its management structure in existing child care programs and developed new relationships with emerging programs. Throughout the four years of the project, Kiwassa consolidated management practices, provided professional development opportunities to staff to ensure the long term stability of quality child care programs and developed management relationships with neighbourhood child care programs. When the Demonstration Project was initiated in 1995, Kiwassa Neighbourhood House operated five child care programs, some based on-site at the House and others located at other neighbourhood sites. 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. A variety of management structures developed as the number and type of Kiwassa's child care programs evolved over time. Currently, Kiwassa has three different kinds of management structures in place to operate its programs. These are: "direct management" where Kiwassa is the sole operator, "cooperative management" where Kiwassa together with another sponsoring society operates the program and "consortium management" where Kiwassa is one of several community partners who together co-sponsor the program. As depicted in the following diagram, Kiwassa is responsible for the "direct management" of the Kiwassa-Variety Club Daycare and Kiwassa-Longhouse Out-of-School-Care , for the "cooperative management" of Kiwassa-St. David's Preschool and Kiwassa-Harbourview Daycare, and for participation in the "consortium management" of Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral and its associated Strategic Initiatives Project One Stop Access, and the Vancouver Supported Child Care Services Society. Kiwassa has recently worked with Hastings Park Racetrack Child Care committee to develop temporary child care at the track this season and is seeking to establish a permanent facility in the vicinity in the foreseeable future.
Kiwassa Demonstration Project Outcomes
Although it would be difficult to claim a cause and effect relationship between participation in RUG and particular management functions, it is clear from the data that the increased knowledge of management issues that the RUG environment offered Kiwassa's Child Care Manager positively affected her capacity to manage the child care programs at Kiwassa. The Manager acknowledged that her participation in RUG "opened up the world of child care" for her. Since RUG, Kiwassa has begun and/or completed implementation of new management strategies that have helped to stabilize existing Kiwassa child care programs and to develop new child care programs in the community. The Kiwassa Child Care Manager attended all RUG quarterly meetings as well as numerous RUG Committee meetings including those related to professional and leadership development, financial operations and data and record keeping and regional planning. The Manager reported that both Quarterly and Committee meetings were very helpful in her own professional development. She also noted that being part of discussions at the RUG table broadened her knowledge base about child care which contributed to more effective decision-making at the Neighbourhood House. She also stated that knowing that she could call other RUG members to discuss management issues such as staffing, non profit Board governance and other matters enhanced her own management skills and abilities. She said too that there had been times when she had been able to share her management experience with other RUG members who had called her with specific administrative questions. At RUG Quarterly meetings, Kiwassa's Manager typically shared information with other RUG members about Kiwassa Project activities and highlighted emerging issues and barriers. She also made two presentations describing the Kiwassa HUB Model to RUG members. RUG members did have some opportunity to respond to and discuss the Demonstration Project, but Kiwassa received minimal feedback from RUG members regarding its HUB Model.
During Years Two and Three of the project, Kiwassa and the parent boards of two child care programs worked together to develop and strengthen effective management structures and trusting relationships. This effort helped stabilize these child care programs. During this period Harbourview Daycare developed from contracting management services through Kiwassa to becoming an integral part of the Kiwassa HUB through a cooperative management arrangement. The transition to a cooperative management arrangement required time to develop. Trusting relationships among Board and staff and clear goals and objectives needed to be developed. It is important to note that throughout this demonstration project, the management staffing required to achieve project outcomes was made possible through Project funding. During Year Three of the Project Kiwassa completed the development of Board Manuals for Kiwassa Harbourview Daycare Centre and St. David's Preschool. The completion of these manuals followed a lengthy process of consultation with the staff and the Boards of Directors of each of these centres and was facilitated through the financial resources available to Kiwassa through the Project funds. These manuals served as a primary tool for board members providing them with essential information about how the programs were expected to operate. Staff reported that they expected that these Board manuals would lead to more consistent understanding of the roles and responsibilities of staff, Kiwassa Neighbourhood House and each Board. For example, Kiwassa worked with the parent boards of St. David's Preschool and Harbourview Daycare to prepare for their Annual General Meetings. Such support from Kiwassa to these parent Boards alleviated much of the pressure generally felt by volunteer board members of child care programs. Revisions to Program Policies and Procedures Manuals and Family Handbooks started in Year Three are not yet complete. The Kiwassa Demonstration Project developed more consistent management practices across all their child care programs. For example, with information shared amongst RUG organizations, Kiwassa developed fee tracking systems and fee collection forms that are now used by all of its child care programs. Through careful tracking of fee collections and subsidy authorizations, staff are able to identify and respond to problems early. This tracking is centrally monitored by the Child Care Manager who discusses emerging issues with individual Program Coordinators as needed. The tracking systems have allowed development of more effective follow up mechanisms to identify and address difficulties before a crisis develops. For example, the improved tracking system enabled Kiwassa to better respond to the financial challenges created by the current backlog of child care subsidy applications at the Ministry of Human Resources. Such a challenge could have precipitated a major crisis if effective monitoring and tracking systems had not been in place. More consistent management practices are leading to improved understanding of the various roles and responsibilities of all staff in Kiwassa's child care programs. This understanding has led to reduced stress for staff and parent boards of Child Care programs. The updating of job descriptions intended to further clarify staff roles has not yet occurred. Centralized, and more effective management practices and role clarification have resulted in improved budget monitoring and more consistent workplan implementation. Staff noted that having a Child Care Manager who is responsible for overseeing the budgets of all the child care programs has contributed to the improved financial planning and management of Kiwassa Child Care programs.
The Kiwassa Demonstration Project enabled Child Care Coordinators to hold regular meetings where both long range planning and more immediate issues were addressed. Information shared improved staff's ability to help families gain access to the continuum of child care in the community. This helped to reduce the isolation of Kiwassa staff teams from each other, a common challenge in organizations with both on-site and satellite programs. Through RUG the child care manager acquired information and resources related to management issues which were shared with staff and parents. This relieved programs of the sense of isolation sometimes felt by off-site programs. Connectedness amongst staff fostered a greater staff team effort, more peer support and effective program management overall. In addition systems were developed to coordinate access to Neighbourhood House resources for both on-site and satellite programs such as the computer lab, the van and passes for staff and children to local attractions such as the Aquarium and Science World thereby enhancing programming for children's activities. The Demonstration Project afforded all staff in Kiwassa Child Care Programs to engage in enhanced professional development activities. During Year Three two Kiwassa Child Care Program Coordinators attended the Cross Organizational Management Training Series sponsored by RUG. This series included six full-day sessions related to administration and management of child care programs. Kiwassa child care staff teams developed an emerging leadership pattern where those who participated in the management training series shared their learning with other child care coordinators. This practice provided opportunities for all team members to develop management skills thereby strengthening the team as a whole. Child care staff had also identified the need for more opportunities for professional development and networking within their own team and with staff from other Kiwassa programs in order to support their work with families. Staff noted the particular importance of the inclusion in the HUB of the Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral Program and the One Stop Access Strategic Initiatives Project. Each of these programs contributes to increased access for families to the continuum of child care programs in the neighbourhood. As a result of formal and informal networking opportunities, child care staff were more familiar with the VCCRR print materials on a wide range of child care topics in many languages and the interpretation services that are available when needed. Child care staff also came to more fully understand the support services available to families in times of need. Family support programs at the Neighbourhood House, of which child care is one, offer families, including those using Kiwassa child care programs a wide range of services. These include a breakfast program, food bank, peer support groups and employment programs. Kiwassa also strongly supported the professional development of Kiwassa's Child Care Manager through providing the opportunity to engage in a mentoring relationship with a more experienced manager from outside the organization. This relationship involved regularly scheduled meetings over a six month period as well as ad hoc meetings and telephone conversations as needed. In a report developed by the VCCRDMPP Coordinator, it was noted that this mentoring process assisted the Kiwassa Child Care Manager to learn situational analysis, decision making and problem-solving skills and increased her managerial confidence.
An important role of the child care provider is effective communication with the families of children in their care. It is common for child care providers to become aware of circumstances in a child's family that create stress and hardship. These are often emotionally charged issues which can be challenging for both parents and staff to discuss. Opportunities to strengthen the links with other Kiwassa family support services, to access peer support for problem solving and to consult and have support from the Child Care Manager contributed to child care staff's confidence in their own ability to communicate about these and other matters with families. As a result, child care programs hosted some workshops about health and safety issues which were of common interest to themselves and to families with young children. Kiwassa also organized information meetings for staff, families and other child care providers related to the implementation of the new Supported Child Care Initiative. Workshops in several languages about the provincial Child Care Subsidy Program. were also organized for families and providers. These were opportunities for staff and parents to build trusting relationships that support communication about both mundane and sensitive issues. Child care literature clearly ascribes a direct link between caregiver training and the quality of care provided to children (references) Usually, this literature refers to training that focuses on child development, health and safety issues and appropriate programming for children. While the relationship between improved management skills and the quality of care provided to children was not assessed in this Project, child care staff reported fewer crises and reduced stress with improved management practices. One might conclude that if direct service staff are confident in the management structures and personnel and feel less stressed, they are likely to provide children and families with better quality care on a daily basis.
Early in this project Kiwassa management moved away from the notion of identifying the child care needs of families through formal community needs assessment processes. While initially it was thought that traditional needs assessment methods would be most effective in determining future directions for Kiwassa's child care programs, a different direction subsequently emerged. Kiwassa management identified that more informal processes with community groups were more appropriate and more fruitful in assessing and responding to community needs. Kiwassa developed a centralized process for the collection of demographic data about the families using its child care programs. It is thought that over time this data will provide the organization with longitudinal demographic data that will be useful in determining the degree to which there is equity of access to Kiwassa's child care programs amongst community families. In addition, it is expected that this will provide the type of neighbourhood specific demographic information that is frequently needed for the development of child care grant applications. Kiwassa was instrumental in the early development of the data collection tool that was later refined through RUG's Data Collection Committee and Child Care INFORM. This tool is expected to be available for use by any interested child care provider in the future.
It has been Kiwassa's intention for some time to address the need for a variety of child care options for neighbourhood families. In the past through its Child Care Hub Kiwassa has added to the variety of child care choices in its neighbourhood and increased the actual number of quality child care spaces. Such efforts continued throughout the Demonstration Project. For example, during Year Three of this Project, Kiwassa became involved in the development of child care for workers from the Hastings Park Racetrack. Working with Racetrack representatives, Kiwassa initiated a feasibility study that described in detail backstretch workers' unique child care needs. Kiwassa then participated with Racetrack representatives and these workers to develop both short term and long range child care plans to meet the particularly challenging child care needs of the families of backstretch workers who work in the early morning hours and late evenings, seven days per week. During the summer of 1998, Kiwassa successfully established a temporary group child care facility at the Racetrack to provide safe, quality care for children of families working in the very early morning hours and on weekends. Plans are now underway to build a permanent child care facility to serve this particular population with their unique hours of work. Kiwassa Harbourview Daycare was also stabilized during the period of the Demonstration Project. This program which had been closed was reopened and integrated into the continuum of child care programs at Kiwassa. Through the provision of stable management and the development of clear definitions of roles and responsibility of the parent Board and Kiwassa, this previously vulnerable program was stabilized as part of the Kiwassa HUB. During Year Two and early in Year Three of the Project, Kiwassa engaged in talks with another non-profit society regarding the development of child care programs in a new social services facility. Additional discussions involving staff of both societies and the City Child Care Coordinator followed to identify gaps in child care services in the area and to determine priorities. Although these discussions did not result in the development of additional child care spaces at that time, it is clear evidence of Kiwassa's ongoing commitment to addressing the community's child care needs. Several years ago Kiwassa identified child care needs of neighbourhood children in the 9-12 year old age bracket. Unable to develop age specific licensed child care for these children because of the physical constraints of its current facility, Kiwassa offered some coordinated scheduling and transportation so that children attending off-site licensed child care programs could participate with peers in ongoing House recreation programs. A recent example of Kiwassa's ongoing commitment to respond to community needs for child care is the development of neighbourhood based Supported Child Care Services through involvement with a consortium of child care providers. Kiwassa: Discussion and Lessons Learned The Kiwassa Hub Model for child care has been evolving over the past six years. This four year Strategic Initiatives Project has supported continued development of the Hub through the strengthening of the management structures of all Kiwassa child care programs. Participation in this Project provided the resources which allowed the Neighbourhood House to refine its role in the co-development and delivery of neighbourhood child care services. Kiwassa was afforded the opportunity to continue to explore several management models which emerged in response to a variety of environmental influences including historical context, the actual circumstances of existing programs and the developing needs of the community. The centralization of management functions has enabled Kiwassa to effectively monitor and enhance the stability and viability of its child care programs. Standardization of management practices across all Kiwassa child care programs helped to clarify staff roles and responsibilities, improve financial management of child care programs and facilitate implementation of annual workplans. A key contributor to improved management of programs and improved quality of care is the availability of enhanced professional development activities for child care staff. The formal mentoring of the Child Care Manager and support for her participation at various RUG tables resulted in the building of her knowledge base, management skills and confidence which together influenced the quality of management available to Kiwassa's child care programs. The professional development opportunities made available to child care staff through the Demonstration Project supported the broader team's ability and efforts to administer programs more effectively and provide a quality child care environment. As a result of the stabilization of the Kiwassa Child Care Hub through the development of effective management systems, Kiwassa is poised to continue testing possible options or new models for delivery of child care services. The current work undertaken to develop a permanent child care facility at the Hastings Racetrack is a case in point. Such activities address the outcomes identified for all Strategic Initiatives Projects, increased quality, accessibility, affordability and cost effectiveness of child care. Component 4: Administrative Partnership Pilot Project The current form of stand alone centres in Vancouver has been identified as a fragile and vulnerable model for child care delivery. A "stand-alone" child care centre has the single purpose of providing child care and is not affiliated with or supported by any other agency or multi-service organization. Stand-alone centres are operated by independent non-profit societies and are administered by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of parents with children enrolled in the centre. Stand-alones generally depend on the ability of parent volunteers and staff to fulfill administrative and management duties. It is common for this to cause severe administrative and management pressures with many of the administrative tasks left for staff to complete on unpaid time. The Administrative Partnership Project involved three partner groups: two "stand-alone" child care centres, Pooh Corner Child Care Society and City Hall Child Care Society, and a support service for "stand-alone" centres, Child Care Financial and Administrative Services, a program of Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. The purpose of the Administrative Partnership Pilot Project was to explore ways to "stabilize" stand-alone programs over the long term by increasing administrative and management efficiency. Using a collaborative approach involving these three partner groups, this project was initiated to seek ways to strengthen administration, management and financial planning structures to benefit the two participating child care societies and other stand-alone centres. Pooh Corner Child Care Society Pooh Corner Daycare is a non-profit "stand-alone" licensed daycare managed by a parent board. The daycare is licensed for 22 children aged 18 months to five years, with 8 spaces for toddlers aged 18 months to 3 years and 14 spaces for 3-5 year old children. City Hall Child Care Society City Hall Child Care Society is a non-profit "stand-alone" licensed daycare managed by a parent board. The centre has 10 licensed spaces for infants, 12 spaces for toddlers and 25 spaces for 3-5 year old children. Child Care Financial and Administrative Services (CCFAS) Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre is a non profit society that supports families, child care providers and child care organizations through the provision of resources and information, networking and training opportunities as well as consultation and referral services. Child Care Financial and Administrative Services (CCFAS) is a program of Westcoast that provides administrative support and financial management services to non profit, parent managed societies which operate licensed child care facilities. CCFAS provides administrative services including outreach visits, newsletters and training opportunities as well as financial services including budget preparation, basic bookkeeping and accounting and financial consultation.
Management staff at City Hall and Pooh Corner benefited from the professional development activities made available through their participation in the RUG Project. These individuals had been appointed as Supervisor with management responsibilities at their respective stand-alone centres when existing management staff at the centres left their positions for personal reasons early in Year Three of the Vancouver Child Care Regional Delivery Model Pilot Project. These two "new" managers had limited management experience although each of them had participated in some RUG sponsored activities earlier in the Project. Each of these Supervisors reported that RUG had played a significant role in their own professional development. Their participation in Quarterly meetings and in various Rug Committee meetings had broadened their personal understanding of child care issues and had advanced their managerial skills and abilities. This increased knowledge had, in turn, contributed directly to the development of more effective management and administrative systems at their respective centres. Both supervisors reported that having the opportunity to contact other RUG members both formally and informally to discuss child care management issues had also made a big difference in the development of their managerial abilities. Through the information-sharing and support available to them at the RUG table they had learned new ways to address administrative and management challenges. At the same time, both managers reported feeling overwhelmed at times with the volume of information provided and the depth of discussions regarding child care issues. Each Supervisor reported that she had "felt over her head" at many times. Interaction with RUG members about the Administrative Partnership Project was primarily in the form of information-sharing through verbal reports given at the RUG Quarterly meetings. During the final year of the Partnership Project, staff also gave formal presentations about the Project at RUG meetings. While RUG members had some opportunity to respond to and discuss the Administrative Partnership Project, there was little feedback offered from RUG members.
Pooh Corner and City Hall Child Care Societies entered into this Project to explore ways that "stand-alone" programs could collaborate in the management and administration of their programs to address issues related to the general "fragility" of the programs as well as Board and staff stress. While the initial idea for accomplishing this was amalgamation of these child care societies, this Project actually took a different path toward achieving the desired outcomes. Efforts focused on:
Strengthening the administrative and managerial capacities of each of the two participating centres Staff from both Pooh Corner Child Care and City Hall Child Care Centres recognized immediate benefits from their involvement in the pilot. Notably, the greatest benefit identified was the increased paid time available for staff to complete the required administrative functions. Staff also reported that having additional time expressly for administration meant that when they were responsible for the direct care of children, their attention was focused on providing quality care rather than on unfinished administrative tasks. They felt that this had improved the quality care provided to the children on a daily basis. The resources provided through the Project for additional paid administration time also raised the scope and quality of administration and management for each of these "stand-alone" centres. Before the Project both staff and board members of these centres had indicated that administrative tasks were done either after work hours by staff whose principal role was caring for young children or they remained undone creating stress and frustration for staff and board. The infusion of funds for increased administrative time into these centres reduced the need for crisis management and job related stress for staff, a strong indication of an improved work environment. Both "stand-alone" programs benefited from participation of their supervisors in the RUG sponsored Management Training Series. Each Supervisor reported feeling more knowledgeable and confident in their own ability to perform the required administrative tasks. In addition, the very positive relationship which developed between the two Supervisors that came from their sharing of this formalized learning experience played an important role in strengthening the administration of each program as a result of their mutual support, information exchange and shared problem solving. Researching collaborative approaches to administrative and management functions to provide long term stability for these child care centres. Early in this Project City Hall Child Care Society had been partnered with Mount Pleasant Child Care Society to explore ways to stabilize stand alone child care centres. The Project proposal had identified amalgamation of these societies as the means by which administrative and managerial efficiencies, and hence, stabilization of the programs, could be achieved. Available data indicates that the departure of Mount Pleasant Child Care Society from the Project was due to their non interest in amalgamation as a means by which to achieve this stability. Pooh Corner Child Care Society was then invited to join the Project. It was renamed the Administrative Partnership Project, a change that reflected a shift in focus from amalgamation to an exploration of several possible models for acquiring increased administrative support, with amalgamation being only one of the possibilities to be considered. The first three years of the Project was spent assessing the administrative and financial management systems of each centre, determining the extent to which these functions might be done jointly and learning about possible partnership models. Initially, staff planned to work together to develop common program policies and procedures manuals for both centres. Towards the end of Year Three, as it became increasingly evident that an alternative to amalgamation was likely, it was agreed that further work on these common manuals would be inadvisable. While both centres identified that development of these documents was important, this task was not given priority by either of the centres until the last year of the project. Therefore, the value of these manuals cannot be determined for the purposes of this report. Each Society participated in both separate and joint discussions about the strengths and vulnerabilities of stand alone centres. Such discussions also occurred with other stand alone child care programs in Vancouver. Drawing upon the learnings from these discussions, a document entitled Transition to Alternative Operational Structures was developed by Project staff and Board members. Following from this document, a discussion guide entitled, New Ways of Moving Forward: A Discussion Guide for Non-Profit, Stand-alone Child Care Organizations (1998) was produced by Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. This document identifies a process that stand-alone centres may use to assess the strengths and challenges of their child care program. The guide also describes several organizational models which could be used to stabilize child care programs. As a result of exploring possible administrative models during Year Three of the Project, the Board of Pooh Corner Child Care Society decided that neither amalgamation nor other administrative Partnership with City Hall Child Care Centre was what was needed to stabilize and sustain their program. Instead, Pooh Corner began work with Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre to "introduce management expertise and resources to Pooh Corner in order to work towards longer term stability for this stand-alone child care centre while maintaining the integrity and autonomy of the program, board and staff." (From the contractual agreement) In October 1998 Pooh Corner and Westcoast entered into a "contractual management relationship" where Westcoast assumed shared responsibility for specific management functions for Pooh Corner as outlined in the contractual agreement. This relationship is in keeping with Westcoast's interest in "building on its existing skills, expertise, and programs in ways that meet the needs in the child care community and ...finding systemic solutions to these identified challenges." (From the contracted agreement) The timing of this initiative will not allow it to be evaluated for the purposes of this report. To date, the Board of City Hall Child Care Society is exploring association with other organizations who deliver direct child care services to families. While Board members do understand the need to be concerned with long term stability issues, generally they have focused more of their attention on managing the administrative workload. Centre staff have clearly identified the benefits of the continued development of effective administrative systems and of the enhanced team work of staff from all City Hall Child Care Programs. They have attributed these improvements to the availability of sufficient financial resources to sustain efficient and effective administrative and managerial supports.
The rate and timing of the course of this Project were such that other groups have not yet had opportunities to learn about or build upon the administrative or management structures and approaches generated by the Project. At the same time, Child Care Financial Administrative Services reported some other "stand-alone" centres in Vancouver have made inquiries regarding the Project. The recently completed New Ways of Moving Forward: A Discussion Guide for Non-Profit, Stand-alone Child Care Organizations document has not yet been widely distributed to child care programs. It is expected that this document will provide a strong framework for other stand alone programs to use in exploring stabilization and sustainability issues in the future. Administrative Partnership: Discussion and Lessons Learned This Project shone a light on the administrative and management practices of Pooh Corner and City Hall Child Care Centres. This attention resulted in the provision of the support required for significant improvement to these systems. Both programs benefited from staff involvement in RUG activities. The networking and professional development opportunities available through RUG increased the administrative and management capacity of each child care program. Staff identified enhanced working conditions and better quality care as outcomes of the resulting administrative improvements. While the quality of care provided in these centres was not specifically evaluated for the purposes of this report, child care literature suggests that improved staff working conditions contributes positively to the quality of care provided to children. Sufficient time and appropriate "timing" are extremely critical in achieving significant change in established organizations. Long-standing organizations usually have a highly regarded culture and identity and are not easily convinced to move in a direction which may compromise organizational values. Because the Project partners did not see themselves engaged in an organizational change process, it took more time than expected to identify and focus the direction of the work. In addition, while partnership protocols were developed early in the project, the nature of the partnership among the three organizations seems not to have been particularly well understood. While the relationship between the Supervisors of each of the centres was strengthened through the Project, work towards building relationships between the Boards of the two programs was limited. Without such relationships the articulation of a common direction was not likely to emerge. Increased financial resources alone could not hurry a change process beyond the pace at which the groups were ready to move. The Project might have moved more quickly with common vision and explicitly shared goals and assistance from a skilled organizational change facilitator. As a result of their work together, all three of the partners are more aware of each other's programs. In particular, centre staff and boards of both these stand alone societies report a much greater awareness of the services of Westcoast Child Care Resource Center and use these services more readily. This relationship is expected to be ongoing and will support the centres in the future. The participating child care societies have explored some models of amalgamated services and discovered that in their particular circumstances amalgamation would not benefit either program. They have, however, produced documents which may prove helpful to other child care organizations considering amalgamation in the future.
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