CFR 182460 Child Care Resources and Referral Services

The Ministry of Education and Child Care (the Ministry) is seeking service providers in various Service Areas across the province to deliver services under the Ministry's Child Care Resource and Referral program (CCRR Program), described further in section 2.
Recipients will be expected to deliver the full array of CCRR Program services to all Service Users (as defined in Appendix B: Shared Cost Arrangement Form) who include the child care community, families, Child Care Providers, and the Child Care Workforce. CCRR Program services are detailed more fully in Schedule A of Appendix B: Shared Cost Arrangement Form and include but are not limited to:
    (a) General Obligations and Services;
    (b) Child Care Planning and Partnerships;
    (c) Services to Families;
    (d) Services to Child Care Providers; and
    (e) Services to the Child Care Workforce.

The Recipient, through the CCRR Program, plays an important role in supporting the vision and execution of the Province’s ChildCareBC Plan. The primary objective of the CCRR Program is to work in partnership with the child care sector to enhance and enable the expanding programs delivered under the ChildCareBC Plan for communities in British Columbia.

The Recipient will aspire to the following provincial and federal objectives under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CW-ELCC) by upholding the vision that that all families in British Columbia should have access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive licensed child care no matter where they live.

Through the Program, the Recipient will assist with addressing barriers to accessing inclusive and flexible child care for families, including families with distinct needs such as lone-parent, lower-income, Indigenous and racialized families; families in underserved communities; families of children with disabilities or other support needs; and families with caregivers who are working non-standard hours. In addition, the Recipient will assist with recruiting, mentoring, and providing training and Professional Development to individuals in the Child Care Workforce so they can continue to develop their skills and play a significant role in the expansion of inclusive, quality child care in British Columbia.

The Recipient will, through the CCRR Program, provide the Services by operating a child care resource and referral centre at a Primary Location (and any Satellite Location), as well as through Mobile Services and Virtual Services. The Recipient will be responsible for providing the Services described in this Schedule to Child Care Providers, families, the Child Care Workforce, and the child care sector, including providing support and training for the Child Care Workforce, informing community planning in relation to child care, and providing assistance in navigating government programs and accessing child care.

Recipients can expect to receive equal monthly payments on or about the last day of each month for delivering the Services throughout the term of the Shared Cost Arrangement.

The Ministry intends to award one Shared Cost Arrangement per Recipient.

A Respondent who submits the highest-scoring Response for more than one Service Area will be invited to enter into a Shared Cost Arrangement for multiple Service Areas. Any such Shared Cost Arrangement will include requirements for each Service Area, all of which must be met for each Service Area. For example, the Recipient will be required to have a Primary Location in each Service Area and having one Primary Location in one Service Area will not satisfy the requirements for having a Primary Location in another Service Area.

Shared Cost Arrangements will be for an initial term of 3 years with two 1-year options to extend that the Ministry may in its sole discretion choose whether or not to exercise.

Further details as to the scope of this opportunity and the requirements can be found within this CFR.