for Child Care in the Courts

UMASS/AMHERST

312066 0367 3165 ²

Policy Guidelines and an Operating Plan

for Child Care in the Courts

^ ^{M 4} ^ ^M A

^<>^«0'

Guidelines and an Operating Ptan

wOU ^{I C} waiG ^{/or ChiU Care in the Courts}

MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL COURT CHILD CARE PROJECT ADVISORY COMMTTTEE

Hon.JulianT. Houston, Chairperson MIDDLESEX SUPERIORCOURT Hon. MariaI. Lopez DISTRICTCOURTDEPARTMENT Hon. NancyDusek-Gomez DISTRICTCOURTDEPARTMENT Hon. JohnG. Martin HOUSINGCOURTDEPARTMENT

FranBan-ett

Director, GroupDay Care Licensing

OmCE

FORCHILDREN

NarK;ySchwachter Day Care Specialist

DEPARTMENT OFSOCIALSERVICES

JohnStainton Director

COURTFACIUTIESBUREAU/DCPO Hon.ElaineM. Morlarty

PROBATE

&

FAMILYCOURTDEPARTMENT Hon.JamesF.

McHugh

ill

SUPERIORCOURTDEPARTMENT Robert

Moscow

Clerk-Magistrate

CAMBRIDGEDISTRICTCOURT AnneMarieRush

Director

COMMONWEALTH

CHILDREN'SCENTER

LourdesSariol Director ESCUELITAAGUEYBANACHILDCARE CENTER

RobertB. Fraser,Esq.

GOODWIN, PROCTER& HOAR Paul E.Nemser,Esq.

GOODWIN, PROCTER& HOAR

Robin Riley DeputyDirector

COURTFACIUTIESBUREAU/DCPO RonaldCort>ett

Director, FieldSen/ices

OFFICEOF THECOMMISSIONEROFPROBATION Andrea Genser

Administrative Director,CenterforCareerDevelop- ment inEarlyCare

&

Education

WHEELOCKCOLLEGE

Mav

Pardee Partner

MILLS&PARDEEINC.

Mary Kay Leonard VicePresident

WORK/FAMILYDEVELOPMENTDIRECTIONS

GailanneM. Reeh Vrce President ARBORASSOCIATES MaureenA. Shea

DirectorofLegal Personnel GOODWIN, PROCTER&HOAR

ProfessorRobertHollister LincolnRiene Center

TURS

UNIVERSITY

DouglasBaird ExecutiveDirector ASSOCIATED DAY CARESERVICES OF METROPOLITANBOSTON JimBell ExecutiveDirector SPRINGRELO DAYNURSERY AndreaLuppi Assistant Director SPRINGRELD DAYNURSERY

GloriaOldsman Administrator

GRANTSMANAGEMENTASSOCIATES Mary JaneMoreau

Manager,Planning

&

Development OFFICEOFTHECHIEFADMINISTRATIVE JUSTICE

LucyHudson PROJECT DIRECTOR

Thisdocumentwasdevdoped with a grant from^theStatt Justice InstitutewithwuttduHg funds provided bytheMassadmsettsTrialCourt_{Points of}viewexpressed hereinare those oftheauthors

anddonotnecessarilyrepresent theoffidcU positionorpoliciesof^theState Justice Institute.

SJI

State Justice Institute

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT

OFHCE OF THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE JUSTICE Two

CenterPlaza

Boston,Massachusetts 02108

JOHN

^E.

FENTON.

^JR.

ChiefAdministrativeJustice ^Tel:(617)742-8575

Fax:(617)227-9738

Dear Colleagues:

The book you hold in your hands represents the hard work and commitment of a distinguished group of experts who represent the Trial Court Departments, interested state agencies, the philanthropic community, academic institutions, and a spectrum of child care professionals. Called together by Judge Julian T. Houston, the group oversaw the drafting of CourtGsu'e, and organized a large conference

to herald

^its

pubUcation. Day ⁱⁿ Court; a Child's Perspective was a planning conference for child care in the Massachusetts Trial Courts.

Both the conference and the manual will contribute to the ease with which the courts in Massachusetts will be able to take this important step toward a user-friendly justice system.

On behalf of the Massachusetts Trial Court,

^I

would like to

commend the work of the Massachusetts Trial Court Child Care

Project Advisory Committee.

CourtCare for Child ^{Policy Guidelines} Care in the ^and Courts ^{an Operating Plan}

by Lucy Hudson^. Project Director e

MassadtusettsTrialCourt

Child

care in

courthouses? TABLE OF CONTENTS

Why should we think about

investing in child care

when many

court

employees are already

dealing

with inadequate

resources,

cramped

quarters,

and reduced budgets?

Who would run such a program? Would employees be

ableto

use

it?

Who would pay for

it?

CourtCare

will

provide answers

to thesequestionsasit

provides basic

information on

court-basedchildcare that will

be

usefultocourtsin everystate.

COMMONWEALTHOFMASSACHUSETTS HAMPSHIRE LAW LIBRARY

COURTHOUSE

^-9S MAINSTREET

NORTHAMPTON.MASS. 01060

Foreword

Introduction 1

Chapter

One

5

Selecting

a Courthouse Child Care Team

Chapter

Two

7

Determining Child Care Needs

Chapter

Three 11

Choosing a Child Care Provider

Chapter Four

15

Setting

Up a Child Care Program

Chapter

Five

25

An Operating Plan

for

Child Care

in

the Courts

ChapterSix 37

Financial

Support

^for

Court-Based Child Care

Appendices

45

ChildCareLicensingAgenciesinthe U.S.

Child WelfareAgencies in the U.S.

Foundation Center CooperatingCollections

Acknowledgements

COVER PHOTO

e

CopyrightbyCarol Palmer.

PhotocourtesyofAssodateJDayCare Servioa ofMetropolitanBoston

CourtCare

Foreword

On

a sunny morninginthefall of1984,while leafing throughthe

New

YorkTimesatthebreakfasttable, I

came

upona human-intereststoryonchildcare programsintwo

New

YorkCitycourthousesthatimmediatelyprovided

me

withasolution to a problemthathad begunto

gnaw

at

my

conscienceevery day.

My

court at that time, theRoxbury Distrk:tCourt,

was

the localcourtfor\t\e inner-cityblackcommunityofBoston, a communitywhich

was

rapidlybecomingengulfedin aseaof drugs anddrug-related violence inthe midstofthe high- flying Eighties.Asthe police struggled tocopewith

wave

afterwaveofcrime,forwhich theywerelargelyunprepared, the courthouse, inevitably,

became

the stageforthe public examinationofthegrittydetailsexposedinthe

wake

ofthe envelopingtide

—

the murders, rapes, and

mayhem

ofan endlessstream of victims,the circumstarx^es ofeach renderedfrom the witness standwithanauthenticityboth rivetingand horritying.

As a judgeassignedto hear evidence insuch matters, I

had

become

accustomedtoscanning the courtroom inthe midstofaparticularly

gruesome

piece of testimony, only to discover,to

my

horror, achild (orseveral) seatedinthe courtroom, nestledinto thecornerofits mother's arm, listening inrapt attention as atrembling,weepingvictim describedtheexcruciatingdetailsofa rapeorabeating, or both.

"Why

isthis child here?" Iwould askmyselfwith annoyance. "Andwhat, onearth,can she bethinking ofall ofthis?"

Withoutresorting to studiesorthe consultation of experts, ^I decidedto banishallchildrenfrom

my

courtroom,

when

I

knew

therewerecasesto beheardwith potentially disturbingtestimony. It

was

the instinctofthe parenttaking over, pure andsimple. Daniel

was

fiveatthe timeand Elisabethstill inthe

womb,

butit

was

inconceivable thatI

wouldallow

them

tobe subjectedtosuchanexperience;

howcouldI allowanother'schildtoendure it? Butwhere couldthesechildren go,

now

thatI had ordered

them

from thecourtroom?Tothebenchesinthecrowded

comdor?

Backonto the

mean

streetswithafrustratedparents?

It had begunto occurto

me —

andtotrouble

me —

that ordering

them

outofthe courtroom eliminatedtheimmedi- ateproblem, butitwas,at best, animperfect solution.

And

then Iread themorningpaper,and I understood, inan

instant,what hadtobedone.

Ittookfour years,fromthatsunny,fall morning, toopen the Roxbury DistrictCourtChildCare Center. Four yearsof planning. Fouryearsof pleading. Fouryearsofconvincing skeptics thatit

was

needed, andthat itwouldwori<.Today, aftermorethanthree yearsof service to the children and families ofRoxburyandtothecourt, theCenter serves an average ofathousand^familiesayear. Parentsbringtheir children tothecourthouse, expectingto leave

them

atthe Centeruntiltheirbusinessatthe courtiscompleted, and

for parentsandchildrenvisitingthe courtforthe^firsttime, thecourtofficersandcourtstafftake pride in pointingout wheretheCenteris located.Today, court43asedchildcare

in Roxburyisno longera hazyidea, butanintegral part of the lifeofthecourtandthecommunity.

As aresultof the success oftheRoxburyCenter, a

number

ofimportantdevelopmentshaveoccurred. In 1990, HonorableArthurMason,then theChief Administrative Justice of the MassachusettsTrial Court, authorized submissionofa proposalto the State Justice Institute for fundsto establisha project oftheTrialCourttodevelop policyguidelinesandplansfortheimplementationofcourt-

basedchildcareprogramsin Massachusettscourts. In

1991, withsupport from the State JusticeInstitute,the MassachusettsTrial CourtChild CareProject

was

estab- lished withLucy

Hudson

as Project Directorand an^Advisory Committee

composed

of representatives ofboth theTrial

Courtandthechildcarecommunity. Plansfortheestablish-

ment

ofchildcare programsintenadditional Massachu- settscourts are

now

invariousstagesofdevelopment(the firstofthese, sen/ingcourts inSpringfield, opened on October19th), and discussionshave begunwiththeState of

New

Yorkregardinga possible

New

York-Massachusetts collaboration to exporttheconceptofcourt-basedchild caretoother states.

None

ofthiscouldhave beendone,ofcourse, without thesupportand participationofhundredsof people, both withinthe Massachusettscourtsystem andoutsideofit,

who saw

the need andoffered help. Their

commitment

has

made

itallpossible.

Hon.JulianT. Houston

Justiceofthe Superior Court ofMassachusetts October 21.

1992

Digitized by tlie Internet Arcliive

in 2015

https://archive.org/details/courtcarepolicygOOenner

CourtCare

INTRODUCTION

Court-Based Child Care in Context

In

theUnitedStates,

24-hour

responsibility forchildren

younger

thanschoolage has traditionally resided with their parents

and

other adult

members

of their

extended

families. Frequently living nearby, parents counted

on

relativesforthose infrequentcases

when

they

needed

to leave theirchildren in the care ofothers.

In the 1960s

however, women with young

children

began moving

into the labor force in

unprecedented numbers; between 1950 and 1988

the niunber of married

women

with children

younger

thansix

who worked

outside the

home

increased

from

12 to 57 percent (Wilier et al.

ReachingtheFull CostofQuality inEarlyChildhood Programs,NationalAssociation fortheEducation of

Young

Children, 1990).

The

increase inmarried

mothers

inthe labor forcehas

been accompanied by

a parallel increase in the

number

offamilies

headed by

a single parent (usuallythe

mother)

who must work

toavoidtheonly otheralterna- tive,

government

welfarebenefits.

Thisshifthas

had two

effects:

1. alarge

demand

fornon-parentalcare of

young

children,

and

2. asharp reductioninthepoolofrelatives avail- able to careforchildren.

As

with state court systems throughout the coimtry,theMassachusettscourts

have

not

been immune

to these changes. In 1991, the Massa- chusetts Trial Court's caseload involved

more

than 114,000familyorjuvenile matters. In1991,

44,260

women

soughtrestrainingorders against violent partners,

an

increase of21 percent in a single year.

Moreover,

in 1991 the state sought custodyforalmost 4,000 Massachusettschildren (Massachusetts Trial Court, Thirteenth

Annual

Reportof^theMassachusetts TrialCourt1991, Officeof the ChiefAdministrativeJustice, 1992).

Under

the direction of

some

veryableleaders, thejudiciaryhastakenseveralboldstepsto

examine

such issues.

Coupled with

legislative efforts to reform

an

antiquated court

system and

intense

I

Tmll

interest

from

a

broad spectrum

ofdtizens,the resulthas

been

greatsupportforchildcarein the courts themselves.

COURTS LOOK AT THEMSELVES

In 1988,Massachusettsstate

government was immersed

ina

major campaign

tobuilda

model

childcaresystemfor familiesacrossthe

state.

The Conmionwealth,

describing itselfas a

model

employer,

implemented

severalchildcare initiativesfor state employees.Inthisclimatethe MassachusettsLegislaturepassedChapter

203

of the Acts of 1988.Itrequiredallcourtrenovation to

indude

space for child care for children of

employees

and/orlitigants

where

a

need

could

be

demonstrated.

Needs

assessments

were

conducted inallthecourthousesslated forrenovation orre- buildingoverthenextdecade.

In eight cases, drop-in child care for court

consumers was

identifiedasapriority.(Employees

were

askedabouttheir

own

childcare needs,but

none

of the sites indicated

enough

interest to justifythe

expense

of

an

on-site

employee

child carecenter.)

The Boston Bar Assodation undertook an

extensivestudyof

how

several

workplace

issues

CHILD CARE DEFINITIONS

EMPLOYEE

CHILD

CARE ^-

childcare providedby the employer tothechildren ofacompany's employees on^ornear the premisesoftheworkplace

COURT-BASED

CHILD

CARE

^-childcare inoradjacenttoa courthouse, sponsoredbyorservingpeople

who

use orworkin

thecourt

DROP-IN CHILD

CARE ^-

childcarethat offersoccasionalcare;

ithas noregulararrivalordeparturetimes, and no regular enrollmentroster

BACK-UP

CHILD

CARE

^-childcarethatsen/es thechildren of working parents

when

thechildren's regularchildcarean^ange-

ment

fallthrough

CourtCare

involving familybenefits affected^its

members.

Its

report

made

substantive

recommendations

in the areas of parental leave, child care,

and

flexible

work

schedules (The Boston

Bar

AssociationTask Force

on

Parenting

and

the Legal Profession, Parenting

and

the LegalProfession;

A

Modelfor the Nineties.Boston

Bar

Association, 1991).

Atthe

end

oftheeighties,the

Supreme

Judicial Court appointedthe

Gender

BiasStudy

Committee and

the

Commission on

theFutureofthe Courts.

Both

groupsissued substantivefindings;thechild careneedsofbothemployees

and members

ofthe pubfic figuredprominently.

The Gender

Bias Study represented a

major examination

of

gender

bias in every arena governing: the

work

livesofcourtemployees;the experience lawyers, litigants,

and

witnesses

had when

they appeared before the court;

and

the decisions rendered

by

the seven departments of the Massachusetts Trial Court.

The

study

found

that 55 percent of the court's

work

force

was

female,with

women

dominatingin Jobsthatpaid lower wages;

women

represented

89

percent of the court's clerical employees.

When

surveyed, employees

and

otherprofessionalsinvolvedinthe dailyfvmctioningofthecotirtsrecognizedthe

need

for child care.

Bothmale

and

femaleempbyeesbelievethat the TrialCourtshouldprovideday-carefacilities

and

institiitejob-sharing

and

flexibleworking hours so asto facilitatetheemployment

and

retentionof working parents (Hon. Ruth I.

Abrams

et al.

Gender

Bias Study, Supreme Judicial Court, 1989,_p. 193).

Peoplewithchildren are adverselyaffectedbythe lackofwaitingrooms

and

child-carefacilitiesin thecourthousesof^theCommonwealth.Inaddition, insufficient attention is paid to the particular problems of mothers

and

children inscheduling cases_{(Ibid, p.} 162).

The

Futureofthe Courts

Commission

charteda course

from

the court systemof 1992 to a user- friendly

and

equitablesystem 30yearshence.

ALTHOUGH EMPLOYEE

CHILD

CARE

DOES NOT LEND

ITSELF

TO SIMPLE

SOLUTIONS,

THE

TRIAL

COURT WAS

CONSIOERINQ

IT

AT A TIME WHEN EMPLOYER- SPONSORED

CHILD

CARE

WAS BECOMING

LESSOFA

NOVELTY.

When

asked to lookahead to the future of^the

Commonwealth

'sjusticesystem,

among

theim- provementsthepubUcconsideredmostimportant were evening

and

weekend courtsessions, and

child care, inorder^to

make

courtsmoreaccessible

andeasiertouse(DavidSargentetal.Reinventing Justice 2022; Report ofthe ChiefJustice's

Commission on

the Future of the Courts, SupremeJudicialCourt, 1992,_{p. 12).}

Family problems, particularly those involving children,poseunique

and

urgentproblemsforthe justicesystem.Childrenarethemostunrepresented constituencyinthecourts

and

therefore themost vulnerable...

And

seldom is there any special physical accommodation

made

for children in court,orforlitigantswithchildren(ibid, p. 66).

Among

the Commission's recommendations:

allcourthousesshould provideaccess to child-care facilitiesstaffed

by

high-quality trained personnel (ibid, p.68).

The

blendedvoices ofthisdistinguished chorus

made

childcare inthe courts a compellingissue:

for

employees

of the court

who would

benefit

from

the court's

support

for their family responsibilities;

and

forpeople

who must

appear atthe courthouse;with

nowhere

elseto turn,their

need

for respite

and

thecourt's

need

to function

smoothly

intersect ina drop-inchild care center.

TWO CHOICES: EMPLOYEE CHILD CARE AND DROP-IN CHILD CARE

This

manual and

the courts differentiate be-

tween

childcarefor

employees and

thecarepro- videdto

members

ofthe public

on

a drop-in^basis, because theyserve different needs

and

^different

children.

Although employee

^childcare does not lenditselftosimplesolutions,the Massachusetts Trial Court

was

contemplating it at a time in history

when

employer- sponsoredchild care

was becoming

lessofanovelty.

There

were

far fewer

models

of drop-incare.

The

cities of

New ^York

^City, Washington, ^D.C.,

and

Los Angeles developed programsto

remove

PoUcyGuidelines

and

anOperating Planfor ChildCareintheCourts

2

CourtCare

children

from courtrooms and

courthouse corri- dors; the

New York and Washington programs have been

inoperationsincethe early 1970s.

The programs

vary

tremendously

in the services of- fered,theirsize,fundingsources,

and

affiliations.

In 1989, after fotir years of planning, the

Roxbury

DistrictCourt ChildCare Center opened.

This

was

thefirstcourt-based childcare

program

inMassachusetts

and

representedthe

commitment

ofa

broad

rangeofsupporters in

both

thepublic

and

private sectors toprovide high qualitychild care tothe children

and

substantiave supportto the parents

who

utilizethecenter's services.

While

the parents'

involvement

with thestaffvaries,the vigilance of the staff often

opens

the

door

to parenting skillstraining,

and

referralsto the full

spectrum

of

hiunan

service agencies a family in

crisis

might

need.

DOES COURT-BASED CHILD CARE IMPROVE JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS?

Initial research,

conducted by

Patricia

Hrusa

Williams, indicates that the child care center in

Roxbury

District

Court has improved

the administration of justice

by

offering child care options.

When compared

with

two

othercourts,

comparable

in size

and

other

demographic

variables, but without a child care center, the efficiencyof

Roxbury

District Court

and

its

work environment

stood

out

•

Only

one-fourthas

many

children

were

present incourtroomsin

Roxbury

District Courtasin three

comparable courtrooms where

childcare

was

not

an

option.

•

Those

district courts without provisions for childcare

were up

totwiceasloud

and

disorderly as

compared

tothe

Roxbury

DistrirtCourt.

Results

from

detailed observations in these courtroomssuggestthat children'spresence

makes

asignificantcontribution to the levelof noisein the courtroom.

The most

frequent disruptions caused

by

children

were

infants

and young

chil-

drencrying

and

talking.

The

absence of children

from

the

courtroom

resultedinasubstantial

improvement

inthecourt's levelof

decorum.

Remarks by

court personnel Included: '[the court is] less disruptive all

around'

since the center

opened and

'[the provision of child care]

ONE CHILD'S STORY...

Vicky isfive, andservesas theinterpreter forher3-year- old brother, Sean. Thefamilyhadbeentothe Washington, D.C.

SuperiorCourtChildCare Centeroncebefore,

when

the mother'sboyfriend'scase

was

continued.

A

bright, pretty child, Vicky immediatelygravitatedtothehousekeeping

comer

ofthe ChildCareCenter.

She

lovedthe playhousewhich

was

big enoughto enter, and where she couldsitatatable ortalkon thewall phone.

Afterthe initialperiod of exploration,theteachersetup an art activityatatable.

She

askedVickyifhermother had hung upthe beautiful picturesshe had

made

the lasttimeshe

was

atthe center. Vickysaid, "no, shetore

them

up andthrew

them

inthewastebasket."

A

^{little laterVicky}toldthedirector thatsonwtimes she would gotosleepand

wake

uptofind herselfalone inher apartment.

When

another teacherjoined the children at the tablewheretheywerepastingandpainting,

she noticed that Vickyhada deep, buthealing,

bum mark

on herhand;Vicky saidherbrotherhadheld herhand uptothe

light switch. Havingwatchedforseveral hoursas she protec- tivelyoversaw hersmall brother'sactivitiesand

how

he defen'ed toher,the stafffoundthatansweralittle suspect

Vickyisachildwith

much

potential

whose

environmentis

goingto

make

herlifea struggle; herbuoyant

manner

contra- dictsthedifficultandfrighteningeventsshehas no doubt alreadyexperienced. For

many

families,thecourt's drop-inchild carecenteristheirpointof entiyintothe realmof helping agenciesthatcould alleviate

some

ofthe moredirecircunv stances achild likeVicky faces.Thecrisisthat bringsthe familytocourt offersa

window

of opportunity;thesefamilies are atapointintheir lives

when

they

may

bewillingto imagine a different

way

ofhandlingfamilyproblems.Thechildcare centerstaffcan bethe rightvoice speakingatthe rightmo- ment. Ifthe centercan^alsohave apositive effectonthe administration ofjustice,then itcantrulybesaid toserve all itsmasters.

CourtCare

makes

theentire(judicial)system

more

accessible, relieves parents of stress,

and

lets us

and them

concentrate

on what

has tobe done.'

Even

the respondent

who

rated the court

environment

as adequate prior to the provision of child care

commented,

'it certainly

makes

it easier to concentratevdthout(the) disruptiveoutburstsof children.'

Children in

Roxbury

DistrictCourt

were

farless likely to be exposed to potentially frightening images

and

information than children in courts withoutachildcarecenter.

During two hours

of observations at the DorchesterDistrictCourt,eightchildren

under

the ageoftwelve

were

exposedto sixcasesinvolving

neighborhood

violence (assault, breaking

and

entering, etc.), five involving substance abuse (driving while intoxicated, drug possession

and

sale),

and two

domesticviolencecases (assault

on

a family

member and

violatingarestrainingorder)

.

In

Roxbury

DistrictCourt,

on

averagefewer than

one

child

imder

theageof 12

was

exposedtothe fifteen cases involving

neighborhood

violence, seven cases dealingwith substance abuseissues,

two

sexual assault cases,

and

the

one

domestic violenceproceedingthat

were

heardin

two

hours of observations.

ChUdren

are present in courthouses.

Whether

they

accompany

a parent, a sibling, or a family friend, they are visible in corridors, in clerks'

CHILDREN

IN

ROXBURY

DISTRICT

COURT WERE

FAR

LESS

UKELY TO

BE

EXPOSED TO

POTENTIALLY FRIGHTENING

IMAGES AND INFORMATION

THAN CHILDREN

IN

COURTS WITHOUT A

CHILD

CARE

CENTER.

offices, in waiting areas,

and

in courtrooms.

An

infantcrying,a

mother

hushingthefiveyearold

who wants

to

know what

the

man

^issayingtohis

daddy,the

two

yearold

pounding

the

bench

with herfeetbecause heraunt won'tlether golookout the

window;

courtrooms across the coxmtryare disrupted

by

children

who

arebeing askedtosit

quietly,behaviorthat

we would

notexpectfrom children in

any

othersetting.

Out

inthecorridors there are accidents waiting to happen: toddlers exploring the

uncovered

electrical outlets, preschoolers climbing the railing that separates the

second

floor

hallway from

the atrium overlooking the

main

lobby, distraught and

sometimes

desperate adults

who

could take a small hostage.Coxart

and

probationofficers, clerks, lawyers, court clinic staff, are all pressed into service to ensure the children's safety

and

to

reducethechaos caused

by

thepresenceofchildren.

The

children

and

the courtsthemselves

would

be best served

by

having a safe, nurturing child-

centered

environment where

the childrencotild enj

oy

themselves,

away from

the adult businessof the courts.

Like

many

other sertors of U.S. society, the courtisgrapplingwithquestions surrouindingthe care

and

protectionof children.

Both

drop-inand

employer-sponsored

child care represent innovative

and

promisingdirections inthefuture ofthe administration ofjustice.

PolicyGuidelines

and

anOperatingPlanfor ChildCarein theCourts

4

CourtCare

CHAPTER ONE

Selecting A ^{Courthouse Child Care Team}

I

ecausethegeography,

mix

ofcourtcases, population density, ethnic

and

cultural diversity,

and

size of courts differ, the childcareneedsforeach courthousewill

be

unique.

Forthatreasonitis importanttopulltogethera

group

of

concerned

local citizens

who

reflectthe various constituencieswitha stake in thecourt's future

If

your

courtisreadytoconsiderofferingcourt- basedchild care,

your

analysishas probably con- vinced

you

thatsuch aservice

would improve

the administration ofjustice,

would enhance

the

work-

place, or both. Additional statisticaldata

may be

necessary topersuade

your

colleagues, potential funders,

and community

residents. Chapter

Two

offers basicinformation

on

sources of statistical data thatwillclarifythechildcareneedsofcourt

employees and

families

who

bring childrentothe courthouse

when

they

must

transact legalbusi- ness.

ENGINEERING SUCCESS

Finding energetic, charismatic leaders in the court structure to negotiate the difficulties con- nectedwith

implementation

is

your

firstjob.

You

will find that influential people fall into three camps:

1. those

who

activelysupport thechildcarecen-

ter,

and

arepreparedtohelp;

2. those

who

areantagonistic, forvarious reasons,

and may

blockdevelopment,

and

finally 3. neutral parties

who may

eventually support

yoiu:effort.

Appealtoallthreegroups. Identify

and

neutral- izeobjections.

Minimize

contact

between

warring factions

by

usingtheproponents

who have good working

relationshipswith theobstructioniststo respondto their objections.

Once you have

developed a list of

members,

invite

them

to

an

initial

meeting

to discuss the needsofthecourthouse.

At

themeeting, share the resultsofthe

employee

survey,ask

them

todiscuss

SAMPLE COURTCARE TEAM

Chief Justice of the StateCourtSystem, orhis/herdesignee PresidingJustices ofevery courtdepartmenthousedinthe building(s)thatwill utilizethechildcare center

CourtOfficer(bailifO

Probation Officer(Parole officer)

Directorofthe CourtClinicserving thatcourt ClerkMagistrate(s)

Representative oftheJuryCommissioner^ifjurytrialsare held inthebuilding(s)

DistrictAttorney Local Bar Association Mayor'sdesignee United

Way

staff

member

Chamber

of

Commerce

representative

Representativeofthe ^local ChildCare Resource andRefen^l Agency

their experiences, and, if people

seem

willing, chartacoursefor

making

childcarearealityinthe courthouse.

Many

constituencies

must

investin

your

efforts forthe project to

be

successfxil.

The community

of FINDING localchildcare providersis

one

suchconstituency.

LEADERS

IN

Because

the support of the organized child care

THE COURT community can be

especiallyusefulwiththe

many STRUCTURE _advocacy and

professional organizations they

WHO CAN

_dominate,

you

shouldincorporatetheirconcerns

NEGOTIATE

_as

you do your

^initialbrainstorming.

Each com- THE mvmity

has access toa Child Care Resource

and

DIFFICULTIES Referral

Agency (CCR&R)

^that

^can

^providebasic

IS

YOUR

information about thetypes ofchildcare already FIRSTJOB. operating in the vicinity ofthe courthouse.

The

NationalAssociation ofChild Care Resource

and

ReferralAgencies can provide

you

withthe

CCR&R

closesttoyou.

CourtCare

SAMPLE AGENDA

I.

Welcome

and Introductions

II. Presentation ofSurvey Results

III.DiscussionofCourtCare options

IV.Nextsteps:form a CourtCare

Team

thatwill:

A. Researchthe otherlocal child care options; evaluate surveyresultsand anecdotal information

B. Decidethe type ofchildcare toinitiate:

long-term:foremployees

drop-in: forthe public

back-up:foremployees,attorneys, police officers C. Locate space

D. Fundraiseforrenovation and^{initial operating}expenses

E. Selectachildcare provider

CCR&Rs

areconsultantswithspecialized infor- mation aboutchildcare

which

theydisseminateto parents, businesses,

and

government.

They

usu-

allyreceivefunding

from

acombinationofpublic

and

private sources.Like

many

otherconsultants, theywillusuallyarrange

an

initialmeetingat

no

cost; suchameetingwillcoverbasicinformation abouttheir services

and some background

infor-

mation

aboutchild care.

Ask

the

CCR&R

represen- tative todescribethebillingscheduletodetermine

whether you

can continuetoutilizetheir services.

Because

many CCR&Rs

receive

some government

funding, they

may

assist

you

without

payment.

They, however, like everyother publicly

funded

agency,

have weathered

cutbacks, so

be

prepared to

pay

for their services. Chapter Six discusses fundraising; a smallplaiminggrantcould enable

you

tohirea knowledgeableconsultant.

A

meetingofthe CourtCare

Team might

pro- vide a

good forum

for the

CCR&R

introductory session. After the

CCR&R

representative leaves.

the

Team

candiscuss

what

theyhavelearned,and

what

theywill

need from

the

CCR&R

in orderto

imderstandthelocalchildcarescene.

The

CCRfrR can detail, for example, the child care centers locatedwithinspecific zip codes.

They

cangener- ate a list of the

program

directors, mailing ad- dresses

and

telephone

numbers.

There

may be enough

childcareforyour em- ployees within blocks of the courthouse. There

may be

asuitable

program

acrossthestreetfrom the court thatcould converta

room

intoadrop-in facilitythat

would

allow

you

toinitiatetheservice

much more

^easily.

Even

ifneither'maybe'holds true,

you

will

have

ascertainedanotherextremely valuable piece ofinformationabout theneedfor

your

program:funderswill

want

to

know

thatyou didthis

homework.

Once you have

determinedthesignificant child care providers, invite

them

to a meeting of the CourtCare

Team

to

comment on

thestrengthsand weaknesses of

your

proposal. Thiswill alsopro- vide

an

opportunityto get to

know

them, which will

be

important

when you

areselectingachild care providerto

manage

^theprogram.

National Associationof ChildCare Resource and ReferralAgencies

(NACCRRA) 216 Campus

Drive

SE

Rochester,

MN 55904

(507)

287-2220

NACCRRA

isa national organization of community-basedchildcare resourceand

referral agencies

who

are committedto buildinga diverse, high quality childcare systemwith parentalchoiceandequal access

forallfamilies.

NACCRRA's

mission isto exercise national leadership tobuildsuch asystem andtopronK>tethegrowth and developmentofqualityresourceand referral services.

CCR&Rs

WILL

USUALLY ARRANGE AN

INITIAL

MEETING AT NO COST TO

COVER

BASICS

ABOUT

THEIR

SERVICES AND ABOUT

CHILD CARE.

PolicyGuidelines

and

anOperatingPlanfor ChildCareintheCourts

6

CourtCare

CHAPTER TWO

Determining Child Care Needs

T

^Ihe

^argument

^inf

^onnation

^forcourt-based

^you

^collecttochild^buildcare

^your

must

refer to

two

quite separate

popu-

lations:court

employees who need

childcare whiletheywork,

and

childrenat the court-

house

withadults

who

areappearingbeforea judge, serving

on

a jury,

meeting

with a probation officer, visiting a jailed relative, testifyinginacase,etc

The

data thatsupports the

need

for

employee

childcareisdifferent

from

the data that

shows

the

need

fordrop-incare.

DETERMINING THE NEED FOR DROP-IN CHILD CARE

The

planners

must

convince thecourtadminis-

trators, the state's child welfare agency, private

funders,dvic

and

businessleaders,aswellas courthouse employees, that drop-in child careis a prudent investment ofthe court's resources.

To do

that, a

knowledgeable

dis-

play of the pertinent facts will serve

many

purposes.

Demographic

data

wUl

arguefora sufficient population

from which

the court will

draw

its child care users. Data about violence

and

povertyplaceschildrenat

much

greaterriskofreappearingincourt asdefendants ina

few

years.Thesechildrenarealso atincreased risk forevery otherpossiblesodal^ill: teen preg- nancy, delinquency, school failure, drug addic- tion,

unemployment,

illiteracy,

and more.

Researchinsidethecourt can

supplement

the

demographic

infomiationdiscussed above.Three kindsofdatawillassist

you

inthisprocess:

SOURCES

INFORMATION

Children under

13

years

Familiesheadedbysingle parents Teenpregnancyrate

Public housing tenants Refugees/immigrants

Linguisticminorities Abused/neglectedchildren Battered

women

Violentcrime rate

AFDC

caseload

Unemployment

rate

Incidence ofhunger/malnutrition

Summary

informationonchildren

OF USEFUL STATISTICAL INFORMATION

SOURCE

1990

U.S.

Census

(city-specificdataisavailable)

1990

U.S.

Census

Departmentof Public Health

citygovernment, localhousingauthorities U.S.

Census

Bureau

courtstatisticson useofinterpreters, DepartmentofEducation state childwelfareagency

DomesticViolenceUnit, local policedepartment; battered

women's

shelters

local police department Departmentof PublicWelfare U.S.Bureau ofLaborStatistics

Departmentof Public Health, localfoodpantries, localhospitals servingpeople

who

donothavehealthinsurance

KidsCount Data Book, publishedby the

Anna

CaseyFoundation, Children's DefenseFund, local United

Way

affiliate

CourtCare

STAFF CHILD CARE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

1. Pleaselistthemonth andyearofbirth foreach child(includinganychildrenyouanticipate inthe next threeyears):

Circlethebirthdatesforthosechildrencurrencyin

some

formofcNIdcare.

2.

What

areyourpresentchildcare arrangements?Pleasecheck^offallthetypes^ofcareyou use.

child carecenter "nurseryschool in-home babysitter "familychildcare

home

relative "before/afterschoolcenter

3.

What

doyou pay per hourforchildcare? Please specify the

amount

perchild, usingthebirthdatetoidentifythe child.

$ ^/hour $ /hour $ ^/hour $ /hour $ ^/hour $ /hour

4. Pleasecheckoffthe incomecategorythatdescribesthe total inconr^eforyourhousehold:

0-$15,000 $15,000-$22,000 $22,000-$28.000 $28.000-$35,000

$35,000-$40.000 $40,000-$50.000 $50,000-$60.000 $60.000-$75,000 over$75,000 5. Inyour experience, isthere anadequate supply ofchildcare withina convenientdistancefromthe Courthouse?

yes no don'tknow

6. Ifachildcare centeropened inthecourthouse,wouldyou enrollyourchild(ren)?

yes no

7.Wouldyou need

some

fomioftuitionassistancethatcovered a portion ofthecost?

yes no

8. Ifyou answeredyesto#6, please indicatethe schedule youwould beinterestedin:

^full-time(5 daysper

week

forat leastsixhourseach day)

part-time: hoursperday

number

ofdays each

week

9. Ifyouansweredyesto#6, pleaseindicatethebirth datesofchildrenfor

whom

youwouldrequirecare

(listthe

number

ofchildrenineach age^group):

planninga pregnancyduring the nexttwo years infants (four

weeks

to

15

nwnths)

^toddlers(15monthsto2years, nine months) preschoolers (2 years, 9 monthsto6years) 10. Rankthetypesofchildcare inorder oftheirimportancetoyou (1=_the

most

important,

4

=the leastimportant):

regularchildcare duringworking hours

intheeventthatyourregularchildcare

was

temporarily unavailable

^forschool-age children before orafter theirregularschooldayand/ordurir^school vacations

^formildlyillchildren?

PolicyGuidelines

and

an Operating Planfor ChildCarein theCourts

8

CourtCare

COURT CONSUMER CHILD CARE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

(Substituteterminologyappropriatetothe courtsinyourstate.)

Staff position: Date completed:

1.Inyourexperience, dochildren disruptthebusinessofthecourthouse?

yes no

2. Ifyes,

how

oftendochildren disruptcourtbusinesson atypicalday? ^numt)erof disruptions 3.

On

atypicalday,

how

nnanychildrenarepresent inthe courthouse:

infants (4weel<s-15months) ^toddlers(15 months-2years, 9months)

preschoolers (2 years,

9 months^

years) school-age childrenfrom 5-12years ^teens 4. Please provideaveragenumt)ersforoneday aboutthefollowing:

thenumt}er ofchildren incourt

^thenumt)er ofviolentcrimesthat

come

before thejudges

^thenumberofcasesinvolvingfamilydisputes(divorce,custody,etc)

^thenumt)er ofJuvenileproceedings(delinquency,childreninneedofservices)

^thenumberofchildrenaccompanyingadultsinthe courtclinic

^thenumiaer ofchildrenaccompanyingadultsformeetingswiththeirprobationofficers

^the numberofJurors

who

failtoappearorareexcusedbecausetheyhave no onetocarefortheir children

^the numt)erofdefendants, witnesses,andvictims

who

failtoappearbecauseofchildcareproblems 5.RankthefollowingareasIntenDSofthe likelihoodthat childrenwilldisruptthebusinessofthe court

(1

=

themostdisruptions; 9 =thefewestdisruptions)

arraignments judge-onlytrials jury trials minorcMIorcriminalproceedings majorcriminaltrials(murder, rape,aggravatedassault)

majorcivilcases(largelawsuits,substantial propertydamage)

^courtcorridors/waitingareas

^clerks' offices other (pleasespecify):

6.Rankthe courtdepartmentsinwhichthepresenceofchildren Interfereswiththebusinessathand

(1=themostdisruptions;

8

=thefewestdisruptions)

:

Juvenile ProbateandFamily Housing SuperiorCourt DistrictCourt

othercourt: Probation/Parole

7.Are there other types ofcourt-relatedbusinessⁱⁿwhichthe presenceofchildrenInhibitsthequalityoftheworkflow?

yes no

Pleasecheckoffanyofthefollowingareaswherethisistrue: ^CourtClink:

DA

meetingswithwitnesses lawyers'meetingswithclients other (pleasespecify):

8.Wouldachildcarecenterthat

was

available for

members

ofthe publicwithcourtbusinessImprove:

yourwori<environment ^theefficiencyofcourtoperations

Please usethisspaceto addanyother

comments

youwouldliketo offer aljout childrenInyourcourthouse:

CourtCare

anecdotes:individualstoriesaboutfamilies

who

appeared in the coiirt

and how

the situation could

have been made

less tramnatic for the children.Thesestoriescan

be

bothpositive

and

negative.

The Roxbury

DistrictCourtChildCare Center

and

the

Roxbury

DistrictCourt,

which

it

serves, are sources of information about ^the positiveimpactsucha

program

can

have on

the operationofacourt

statisticaldata thatliststhevolimie ofbusiness conductedin the courthouse,

broken down by

CourtDepartment.

theresultsofaneeds assessmentcirculated

among

the court's employees. Assessing the needs of court

consumers

canbenefit

from

theinputof

allthecourt'semployees, oritcanbepersonally deliveredtoa smallsetofpeople

who

are

most

likelyto

have an

overviewofthecourt'sneeds (judges, the clerk magistrate, administrators, court officers, the director ofthe court clinic, probationofficers).

DETERMINING THE NEED FOR EMPLOYEE CHILD CARE

The

results ofa needs assessmentdistributed to

FOR EVERY

all

employees

deployed in the building(s) are

TEN

likely to indicate far greater interest in on-site

CHILDREN

child care than

would

actually exist ifa center

WHOSE opened

foroperation. Reasons vary: people find

PAR ENTS

interim care

and

decidenotto

move

their children

EXPRESS when

thecourt-based center opens, or theyfind INTEREST, theycaimotaffordit,ortheyleavetheircourtjobs,

ONLY ONE

or agrandparentretires

and

offersto careforthe CHILD WILL children at

home. Whatever

the reasons, it is

ENROLL. crucialthatthebaseofsupport

among

employees

(asdemonstrated

by

responsestotheneedsassess-

ment) be

broad

enough

tosustain thereductions

enmnerated

above,

and

stillenable theprogramto

reachfullenrollment withinthefirstyear.^**

PolicyGuidelines

and

an OperatingPlanfor ChildCarein theCouru

10

CourtCare

CHAPTER THREE

Choosing A ^Child Care Provider

TIhe

^CourtCare

^Team

^{should select a child}

careprovideras

soon

astheinitial

commit- ment

has

been made

totheproject.

A

well- qualifiedchildcareprovider

can

contributetothe architectural

and

construction

phase

of the project, provide

program

supervision,

and

en- gagein private fundraisingactivitiesforstart-up

and

for

program

operation.

Because

the needs of the court

may change

over time it is important to select a child care provider

who

will

be

able toperiodically re-assess the needs of the court,

and modify

the service appropriately.

For fundraisingpurposes itis critical that the childcareprovider

be

incorporatedasanonprofit 501(c)(3) agency.

Where

publicfundsare involved,aprocedure for

an open and

competitiveselectionprocesswill probably

be

required. In order to find the best possible child care provider,

and

to allowfor

an

equitable selectionprocess, followthesesteps:

1.Establish selection criteria. Besides the re- quirements of the

Team,

there will

be

expecta- tions attached to

any

funding

you

receive that

must be

reflected in

what you

expect

from

the childcareagency.

2.Create

a

written

document

thatlistsexpecta- tions for the child care program, the questions respondentsshouldaddress,

and

a Proposal Rat- ingSheettoassesstherelativemeritofthepropos-

als

you

receive.

Determine

the

term

for

which you

are seeking applicants; specifythe length ofthe termintheRequestforProposals (RFP).

3. Select

a

proposal reviewcommittee,

and

es- tablisha timelinefortheselection process.

4.Advertise

your RFP

inalocal newspaper,in the newsletter of

any

childcare organizationop- eratinglocally,

and by announcements maUed

to thelargest childcare

and

children's servicespro- vidersin thesurrounding communities.

The

an-

nouncement

shouldlistthetimeline,thedate

on which you

willhold a Bidders' Conference,

and

the deadline forsubmitting aproposal.

FOR FUNDRAISING

PURPOSES

IT ISCRITICAL THATTYIE CHILD

CARE PROVIDER BE A NONPROFIT

50KC)(3)

AGENCY.

5.

Hold a

Bidders Conference for interested agencies hosted

by members

of the Proposal

Review Committee. The

purposeoftheConfer- ence is to allow

agency

representatives to ask questionsaboutthe

RFP

^.

6.Distribute copiesofsubmitted proposals^toall

members

of the

Review Committee,

together with blankcopiesofthe ProposalRatingSheet.

Remind members

of the

Committee

that their RatingSheetswill

become

partofthe public record

and

thattheagenciesbiddingforthe contractwill

have

therighttoade-briefingat

which

they

can

review theindividualRatingSheets.

7.

Hold one

(ormore) meeting(s)oftheProposal

Review Committee

todiscussthe proposals. Create afinalrating sheetforeach bidder

which

holdsthe averagescores,compiled

from

theratingsofeach

committee member.

Ifthereisstrongcompetition

between two

or

more

proposals, obtain

more

informationtoassistthe

Committee

inreaching a decision.

You may want

tointerviewa represen- tative

from

the organizations withthe best pro- posals

and

visit

programs

operated

by

thebidders.

8.

Enter

into contract negotiations with the provider

you

chose, using theirproposal as the basisof thecontract.Unsuccessfulbidders

may

ask

why

they

were

notpicked.

Be

preparedtoholdde- briefingsessions to discuss therelative strengths

and weaknesses

oftheapplicant'sproposal.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Thereare six areas to consider

when you

are evaluating the proposalssubmitted

by

interested agencies.

The

organization

you

select should be abletoconvince

you

thatthey can

manage com-

petently inallsix areas:

organizational mission

administration

and

financialstability serving thetargetpopulation

maximizingresources

evaluatingtheir servicedelivery folbwingdirections

CourtCare

Organizational Mission

Their narrativeshould demonstrate

an

under- standing of the service

you

are asking

them

^to

provide.

The

activities

and

operations they pro- pose shouldbringtolife thegoals

and

^objectives

you have

established.

The

applicant agency'smission should

be com-

patiblewiththecourt'sexpectationsforthechild care program. If

you

are expecting to serve the childrenofdefendants, witnesses,

and

victims,

an

agency

whose

missionis toprovide high quality services forchildrenatrisk

would be

a

good

match.

The

agency's philosophy

and

educational de- sign

must

address the needs ofthe children

and

adults

who

will

be

using thecenter.Theirproposal shouldaffirmthat their

programming

isconsistent with serving court children.

A program

philoso-

phy

thatalmostexclusivelyemphasizes

academic

learning, forexample, willnotserve theneedsof families

who

areincourtfor

some

verystressful,

butshortterm, reasons.

Administration and

FinancialStability Select

an

applicant withprevious experience.

They

should

be

abletodescribesuccessfulexperi- encesinthestart-up ofachildcare centeror other children'sprogram.

Look

forevidence that they

opened

the

program

expeditiously

and economi-

cally.

The

administrative structure

must

besufficient tosupport theprogram. Seek asophisticated

man- agement team

with the personnel

and

time to devotetotheactivitiesthatwillsupportthedirect provision ofchild care.

Administrative practices

must

reflect

sound management

principles;theagency needsto

dem-

onstrateits stability

and

integrityin handling fi-

nancial dealings

and

administration.

You want

to

know

that the applicant can balance a budget, accurately predict expenses, provide timely

and

careful supervision ofits agents,

and be

heldac- countableforcontractualarrangementsitunder- takes.

The

applicants should provide audited

THE AGENCY'S PHILOSOPHY

AND EDUCATIONAL

DESIGN

MUST ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF

THE CHILDREN AND ADULTS

WHO

WILL

BE

USING

THE

CENTER.

financial reports for thelast fiscal year. Evalua- tionsoffered

on

behalf ofthe applicant

by

govern-

ment

agencies or private philanthropies should reflectthe agency'sabilityto correctly

manage

its affairs.

Personnelpolicies

and

practicesshouldencour- age recruitment

and

retentionof qualifiedstaff.In chfld care,

annual

staffturnover runsatabout 40 percent.Because

low wages

significantly contrib- utetotherate at

which

childcarestaffleavetheir jobs,

you

should carefullyconsiderbidders' pro- posed salary schedules.

An

organization that is

able tohire

and

retain qualifiedstaff

shows

evi-

dencethat^itisattendingtoa

major

obstadetothe deliveryof

good

chfld care.

Hiringpractices

must

reflecttheradal, cultural

and

linguisticcompositionofthegeographicarea.

Itiscriticalthatthefamilies

who

findthemselves inthe center

do

notfeelisolatedbecauseoftheir race, culture, orlanguage.

The

successful appli- cant should take very seriously its obligation to provide a diverse

work

force at

aU

levels of the organization.

Serving the Target Population

The

applicant shoifld

be

able to demonstrate that theyimderstand

who

^willbeusing thechfld careprogram.

They

shoifld

be

ableto describethe types of support services (or referrals) they

wiU

offerto

meet

theneedsofthetarget popiflation.If

theywfll

be

serving a

low income community

ⁱⁿ

which any

ofthecasesthat

come

before thecourt involvedomesticviolence, they^shoifldhaveex- perienceinthe areas of chfldabuse, famfly sup- port, substanceabuse,

and

otherrelatedservices.

They

should

know how

^{to findbattered}

^women's

sheltersthatacceptchfldren.

Head

Startprograms forongoingfamfly-centeredchfld care,

and

early Interventionprogramsforsubstance abusingmoth- ers

and

chfldren.

Maximizing Resources

The

applicant

must be

able toutilize

commu-

PolicyGuidelinesand anOperatingPlanfor ChildCarein thtCourts

12

CourtCare

nity resources and/orsources ofrevenue. Their

ability totap funding streamswill

maximize

the quality

and

quantityoftheserviceprovided.

Ask

the applicants to provide letters ofsupport

from

agencies

with whom

they

have worked

closely.

These letters should reflect affiliations that are relevant to

your program and

demonstrate

an

abilityto

work

successfullywithappropriate

com- munity

resources.

The

applicant

must

demonstratethatthey

have

successfully

pursued

multiple sources ofrevenue, bothintheprivate

and government

fundingrealms.

Applicants

must document

their experience

working

withpublicfunding agencies,

and

their success in fundraising.

Evaluating

theirService

Delivery

The agency

shouldpropose acredibleplanfor ongoingevaluation,including appropriate

mecha-

nismsforsharinginformation withtheCourtCare

Team on

aregiilar basis.

The

applicant'sinternal monitoring

and

evaluation processes should

be

comprehensive,realistic,

and

utilized to

improve program

quality

and

effectiveness.

Following

directions

Istheproposal easytoread?

Isitresponsive to thedirections

you

gave?

Ifthe applicant

cannot comply

withtherules established for submitting a proposal, it raises serious questions about their ability to

compre- hend

written material, to take seriously instruc- tionsgivento

them by

you,

and

to offerappropriate information

when you

requestitinthefuture.

Theirproposal should

be

well written

and

easy to read.

They

will

be

responsibleforgeneratingthe substance of

any

fundraising applications

you make

forthechildcarecenter

and

theirfundraising proposalswillnotreceive serious considerationif

theyare notwell written. Ifthey

have

provided strongevidenceoftheir capability to

manage

the court's childcare

program

inevery othercapacity.

you

shouldevaluate

your

abilityto offertechnical assistance

with

the written portions of their fundraisingefforts.

Once you have

selectedachildcareproviderto

manage

the

opening and

operating of thecenter, include the

agency

in

your

CourtCare

Team. They

are

your

best source of information about child

growth and

development,licensingrequirements, centerdesign,staffing,

and

amyriadofother

knowl-

edgespecificto earlychildhoodeducation.^{»^}

RFP QUESTIONS

1. Please describe your agency's philosophyandeducational designas theyrelatetotherequirements specifiedintheRFP.

2.

What

resourcesdoyoubring tothe projectthatqualifyyour agencytocanyoutthe sen/ices specifiedin theRFP?

3.

How

wouldyouragency complywiththespecified evaluation criteria?

4. Describethe agency's experienceservingthechildrenand familiesdefined asthe target population. ^Ifyouragencyhas experience offeringfamily support, substanceabuse, orother related sen/ices, pleasedetailthe programs/serviceshere.

Describethevalue suchexpertisewould havetoyourdelivery ofchildcareinthe courthousechildcarecenter.

5. Ifthe agencyhas beeninvolved inthe start-upofachild carecenter, pleasedescribe. Ifnot, please detailrelevant experiencethatspeakstoyourabilifyto operationalize the centerexpeditiouslyandeconomically.

6. Describe the agency'sfiscal,administrative, and staffing structure. Include information thatwillallowthe

RFP

Review Committeeto evaluatethe stabilityandintegrityofthe agency'sfiscaland administrative policies.

7.

What

changesinagencypolicyandprocedureswould be required sothatyou couldcomplywiththe requirements specified inthe

RFP?

8. Describetheagency's experiencewori<ingwith public funding agencies.

9. Descrit)etheagency's experience and successin

fundraising.

How

would theagencygo about^solicitingprivate contributionsforthe court'schildcarecenter?