Welcome to the ECS Child Care Referral Utility. The online referral access is for both Shasta County and Tehama County as a convenience to you. Use the below referral utility depending on which county best suits your childcare needs.

If you have any questions or concerns using the referral tools, please don't hesitate to contact our offices for assistance. 

Shasta County: 530-225-2999
Tehama County: 530-529-3131

Another online resource for finding a child care provider is My Child Care Plan.  This website has a mapping feature to help identify where the child care provider is located as well as tools for choosing the right child care option for your child(ren).

The Certificated Child Care Programs assist eligible families in paying for child care services for children up to age thirteen. Children may be served beyond age thirteen if there is a documented special need. Families must meet income eligibility guidelines, work or live in Shasta and Tehama County and need child care because they are working, seeking work or enrolled in an approved education or training program. Help with child care may also be available for families who are seeking permanent housing, working with Child and Family Services toward reunification or if a parent is ill and needs child care for part of the day (must be verified by a doctor).

Eligible families may choose either a licensed child care center or preschool, a licensed family day care home or a "TrustLine" registered licensed exempt provider.

General Alternative Payment Program (Shasta & Tehama) is available to any parent who is income eligible and needs child care while they are working, seeking work, attending an approved education or training program, seeking permanent housing, are incapacitated or referred by Child and Family Services.

CalWORKS Stage I Child Care Program (Shasta) is a Health and Human Services Child Care Program for parents participating in Welfare to Work activities and are referred from the CalWORKS Program.

CalWORKS Stage II Child Care Program (Shasta & Tehama) is available to parents who have received TANF benefits for themselves and their children in the past twenty-four (24) months prior to the application and need child care for working, seeking work, education or parental incapacity.

CalWORKS Stage III Child Care Program (Shasta & Tehama) is available to parents who are enrolled in Stage II at the time the twenty-four (24) months of eligibility in Stage II has expired.

The California Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) is designed to increase the supply of licensed, quality child care. The Initiative works through existing nonprofit community-based child care resource and referral agencies (R&Rs). Since 1992, CCIP has targeted its recruitment and training to meet the changing child care needs of the parents served by the R&Rs.

FOCUS
The Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) targets the home based early care & education community, which includes license exempt providers (Family, Friend, and Neighbors), licensed home providers and assistants, as well as anyone interested in becoming a licensed home provider.

• CCIP trainings help to transform a home based early care & education business into a competitive and marketable industry.

• CCIP trainings provide opportunities for home based early care & education providers and their staff to build their confidence to care for infants and toddlers as well as children with special needs.

• CCIP trainings provide opportunities for home based early care & education providers and their staff to  access resources, attain support, acquire additional knowledge and network with other home based early care & education providers.

Currently all trainings are virtual, please contact Cassy Leggett (530) 225-0353 or cleggett@shastacoe.org for dates and links.

Our Early Childhood Services California State Preschool Program is now enrolling for Full and Part day preschool programs located at several locations in Shasta County! Children who are between the ages of 2.9 and 5 years (not eligible for kindergarten) old will have a quality preschool experience for up to 3-8 hours per day. We look forward to serving your family in our preschool programs.

The Childcare Payment and Waitlist Eligibility Screening is a waitlist for the Alternative Payment Program and the SCOE Preschool Program. These programs provide financial assistance towards the cost of child care for eligible families. Families who have the lowest income and have been on the waitlist the longest are served first, unless a referral is received from Child Protective Services (CPS) for a child who is at risk of abuse or neglect.  Children at risk are the highest priority.  The wait varies. Unfortunately, it is not possible to give an approximate time. Enrollment is offered when funding becomes available.  Placement on the waitlist is not a guarantee of services.Placement on the eligibility list is not a guarantee of services.

For more information, or to obtain an application contact our office at (530) 225-2999 or randr@shastacoe.org.

Searching for child care can be stressful. Believe in yourself and understand that as a parent, you are best able to evaluate and choose care for your child. Resource and Referral is here to assist in your evaluation.

The process begins with a phone call to Resource and Referral at Shasta (530)225-2999/Tehama (530) 529-3131. To determine your child care needs, we will conduct a short telephone interview with you. Information needed includes:

• the location where child care is needed
• what child care option will work best for your family
• how soon you need care, and
• specific needs which may affect your child care search

Once we have your information, we access our child care database and identify child care providers within Shasta and Tehama County who may meet your specific child care needs. We can provide the referrals to you via e-mail, fax or mail.

In addition, we will also review:

• the process for finding child care, and
• how you can evaluate the quality of a child care provider

If for any reason the referrals provided to you do not meet your needs, you are welcome to call back for an expanded or revised search.

A referral is NOT a recommendation. It is important to note Child Care Referral & Education only makes referrals, not recommendations. We rely on the child care providers to provide us with up-to-date information. As such, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the provider information in our files. We do not license, endorse, or recommend any particular provider, nor do we make any judgement about the quality of care given by any provider. Consequently, we urge you, as the parent, to interview a provider and check the provider's references carefully before leaving a child in that provider's care.

As a parent, you have the right to get information about any substantiated or inconclusive complaints about a child care provider that you select for your child. This information is public and you can get it by calling the local licensing office-Community Care Licensing at 530.895.5033 or 1-844-538-8766.