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Hidden Gems: Maximizing CDSS Resources for Child Care Providers
Hidden Gems: Maximizing CDSS Resources for Child Care Providers

A guide to help providers navigate CDSS divisions, maximize lesser-known resources, and connect licensing with quality improvement tools.

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Introduction

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) offers a wealth of resources for child care providers through two key divisions: the Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) and the Child Care and Development Division (CCDD). Understanding how these divisions work together can help you access valuable supports for your program that you might not be fully utilizing.

This guide helps you navigate these resources more effectively, overcome common challenges, and build connections with other providers—all while improving the quality of your program.

Understanding the CDSS Ecosystem for Providers

CCLD vs. CCDD: What's the Difference?

Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD)

  • Primary Focus: Health and safety standards, compliance, and oversight

  • Key Functions: Issues facility licenses, conducts inspections, ensures regulatory compliance

  • When to Contact: Questions about licensing requirements, reporting incidents, capacity changes

Child Care and Development Division (CCDD)

  • Primary Focus: Quality improvement, program support, and professional development

  • Key Functions: Oversees subsidy contracts, quality initiatives, training programs, and resources

  • When to Contact: Questions about quality improvement, curriculum resources, professional development

Quick Decision Guide: Where to Go for What You Need

If You Need:

Contact:

Examples:

Licensing information

CCLD

Facility requirements, background checks, licensing visits

Health & safety guidance

CCLD

Safety standards, staff-child ratios, reportable incidents

Professional development

CCDD

Training opportunities, quality improvement initiatives

Curriculum resources

CCDD

Learning foundations, frameworks, program guidelines

Financial assistance

CCDD

Subsidies, grants, infrastructure funding

Quality rating support

CCDD

Quality Counts California, rating improvement resources

Beyond the Basics: Making the Most of Available Resources

1. Resources You May Not Know You Can Access

Free Professional Development Opportunities

    • Contains over 200 free training modules across multiple categories:

      • Foundations and Frameworks

      • Best Practices for Planning Curriculum

      • Program Guidelines

      • Health and Safety

      • Leadership

      • Trauma-Informed Care

      • Dual Language Learners

      • Business Practices

      • Inclusion and more

    • Available 24/7 with certificates upon completion (completions can take 24-48 hours to transfer to the CA registry)

    • Pro Tip: Create a professional development calendar for your staff, assigning 1-2 modules monthly to build skills systematically

    • Free access to high-quality educational video series including:

      • California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations

      • California Preschool Learning Foundations

      • Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines

      • California Preschool Program Guidelines

      • A World Full of Language/Un mundo lleno de lenguaje

      • New Perspectives on Infant/Toddler Learning

      • Guidelines for Early Learning in Child Care Home Settings

      • The Program for Infant and Toddler Care (PITC) Video Series

      • Inclusion Works! Creating Child Care Programs That Promote Belonging

    • Some videos include captions in both English and Spanish

    • Important Note: Unlike CECO modules, these videos do not offer certificates or professional development hours

    • Pro Tip: Use video segments during staff meetings for targeted mini-training sessions

    • Comprehensive professional development specifically designed for family child care providers

      • Social Competence (Child Observation, Social Emotional Development, Setting the Stage for Social Competence, Loss and Trauma)

      • Integrated Learning (Caring for Mixed Age Children, Young Children Learning Through Positive Risk, Guidelines for Early Learning)

      • Health and Fitness (Motor Skills and Movement, Healthy Habits: Nutrition and Well-Being)

      • Parent Engagement (Serving Children with Special Needs, Partnering with Parents)

      • Language and Literacy (Supporting Young Bilinguals, Introducing Language through Play, Supporting Emergent Readers and Writers)

      • Science and Mathematics (Scientific Inquiry for Young Children, Building Numeracy Skills)

      • Infant-Toddler (Learning Through Relationships, Culture and Care, Guiding Young Children)

      • Partner Facilitator (training for professionals who want to facilitate FCCB workshops)

    • 19 workshops available in Spanish, 15 in Chinese, and some in Russian

    • Additional language options can be requested: Arabic, Farsi, Filipino, and Vietnamese

    • Workshops are free and offered both in-person and online via Zoom

    • Designed for licensed and license-exempt providers, including family, friend, and neighbor caregivers

    • Particularly valuable for those caring for mixed-age groups

    • Workshops provide professional development hours that count toward ongoing training requirements

    • Note: While valuable for professional growth, these workshops do not fulfill initial pre-licensure requirements and do not provide ECE academic units

    • Pro Tip for Providers: Connect with your local Resource & Referral agency to find upcoming workshops in your area

    • Pro Tip for Organizations: Provider associations, R&R agencies, and other community organizations can become FCCB Partner Facilitators through a two-step authorization process, allowing them to offer FCCB workshops in their communities

Specialized Support Services

    • Free mental health consultation services for all early learning and care providers in California

    • Designed to build provider capacity to support children's social-emotional development and address challenging behaviors

    • Four types of services available:

      • Helpline (1-877-524-2422): One-on-one support for timely, non-emergency guidance on children's social, emotional, and behavioral health (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm)

      • Community Open-Door Sessions: Drop-in virtual sessions with consultants to discuss child development topics

      • Communities of Support: Ongoing peer groups facilitated by mental health consultants

      • Direct Consultation: In-depth support with a dedicated consultant for specific classroom or program challenges

    • Services are tailored to different provider types:

      • Family Child Care Home providers: Access to all four service types

      • Center-based programs: Access to Helpline, Open-Door Sessions, and Consultation

      • Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers: Access to all four service types

    • Uses a relationship-based approach focusing on connections between providers, children, and families

    • Areas of support include:

      • Promoting positive mental health and social-emotional development

      • Addressing challenging behaviors

      • Developing trauma-informed practices

      • Creating program cultures that support wellbeing of providers, children, and families

    • Pro Tip: Start with the Helpline for immediate guidance, then explore more intensive services as needed

  • Language Learning Project

    • Comprehensive approach to supporting dual language learners (DLLs) through Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) strategies

    • Three main components of the POLL framework:

      • Family Supports: Family engagement, partnership, and interviews to learn about children's languages, interests, and preferences

      • Environmental Supports: Creating culturally responsive environments with print, materials, and areas that honor home languages

      • Instructional Supports: Specific teaching strategies including anchor texts, vocabulary imprinting, intentional messages, songs/chants, and extended activities

    • Designed for all providers, including those who are monolingual English speakers

    • Based on research showing that maintaining home language while learning English leads to better academic outcomes

    • Provides practical tools for integrating language support throughout daily routines

    • Pro Tip: Visit pollstrategies.org for free resources including videos, guides, and printable materials

  • Beginning Together

    • Comprehensive program administered by WestEd and sponsored by CDSS to promote inclusive practices for children with special needs

    • Provides inclusion training and technical assistance through:

      • Training-of-trainers institutes for early childhood educators

      • Free inclusion webinar series on topics like "Understanding Inclusion," "Collaborating for Inclusion," and "Supporting Children with Behavior Adults Find Challenging"

      • Follow-up "Collaborative Conversations" sessions for additional support

      • Annual Inclusion Facilitator Institute with certification opportunities

      • Regional outreach activities

    • Webinars offered in English with Spanish interpretation

    • Services designed for center-based programs, family child care homes, Head Start/Early Head Start, preschool programs, and family/friend/neighbor caregivers

    • Pro Tip: Visit Beginning Together or email [email protected] to register for upcoming webinars and training events

2. Maximizing Program Participation Benefits

  • Beyond recruitment and basic training, CCIP offers:

    • Mentoring relationships with experienced providers

    • Business development support for sustainability

    • Equipment and materials grants in many counties

    • Pro Tip: Ask your R&R agency about additional CCIP benefits not advertised in general materials

Resource & Referral Agencies

  • Services beyond basic referrals include:

    • Technical assistance for specific program challenges

    • Marketing support through MyChildCarePlan.org

    • Help navigating licensing requirements

    • Connections to local funding opportunities

    • Pro Tip: R&R agencies might know about local grants and opportunities not widely advertised

Common Navigation Challenges

Challenge: Navigating Between Multiple Systems

  • What Happens: Providers often struggle to determine which division (CCLD or CCDD) handles their specific needs

  • Solution: Use our quick decision guide to identify the right division for your question before making contact

  • Pro Tip: Save contact information for your specific licensing analyst and local R&R contact person for quick access

Challenge: Finding Time for Professional Development

  • What Happens: Providers know about training opportunities but struggle to fit them into busy schedules

  • Solution: Utilize on-demand resources like CECO and streaming videos during off-hours

  • Pro Tip: Many trainings can be broken into shorter segments—you don't need to complete them in one sitting

Connecting Resources Across Divisions

Aligning Licensing Requirements with Quality Initiatives

Using Publications to Exceed Minimum Standards

Leveraging Both Divisions During Growth

  • When expanding your capacity, understand both CCLD's licensing requirements and explore CDSS's support programs

  • Example: While working with CCLD on licensing requirements for expansion, connect with your local Resource & Referral agency to learn about current funding opportunities and business development support

Practical Application: From Compliance to Quality

Using California Learning Foundations to Strengthen Your Program

Implementing Curriculum Frameworks While Maintaining Compliance

  • CCLD focuses on safety and supervision; CCDD frameworks help you maximize learning during these supervised times

    • Volume 1: Social-emotional development, language and literacy, English-language development, and mathematics

    • Volume 2: Visual and performing arts, physical development, and health

    • Volume 3: History-social science and science

    • Provides strategies for integrating learning into children's play

    • Offers guidance on implementing both child-directed and teacher-guided activities

    • Includes ideas for planning environments and selecting materials that engage preschoolers

    • Covers four domains: social-emotional, language, intellectual, and perceptual and motor development

    • Based on key principles including family involvement and relationship-based care

    • Specifically designed for the unique developmental needs of infants and toddlers

    • Provides strategies that acknowledge the emotional state of young children as a primary driver of learning

    • Emphasizes individualization for all children, including those with disabilities or other special needs

  • Example: Required routines like meals, diaper changes, and rest times become valuable learning opportunities when informed by these frameworks

PITC Caregiving Guides for Quality Improvement

Challenge: Applying Quality Frameworks with Limited Resources

  • What Happens: Implementing curriculum frameworks seems overwhelming with limited staff or budget

  • Solution: Start with one domain or learning area at a time rather than trying to implement everything at once

  • Pro Tip: Use program guidelines (like the California Preschool Program Guidelines or Infant/Toddler Program Guidelines) to understand key quality elements and prioritize changes that align with your program's specific needs

Challenge: Qualification Barriers to Program Participation

  • What Happens: Providers may not meet all qualifications for certain quality improvement programs they want to join, such as:

    • Educational requirements (ECE units, permits, or credentials)

    • Experience minimums (e.g., two years of good standing with licensing)

    • Administrative capacity to complete required documentation

    • Financial resources to implement quality improvements

  • Solution: Connect with entry-level programs first that can help build qualifications for more advanced initiatives, such as:

    • Starting with basic training through CECO before pursuing higher-level programs

    • Utilizing R&R agencies for guidance on professional development pathways

    • Accessing coaching through Quality Counts California to build capacity

  • Pro Tip: R&R agencies can often suggest alternative programs, grant paths, or specialized support for family child care providers who face unique barriers to participation

Networking Opportunities Through CDSS Resources

Peer Learning Communities

Virtual Collaboration Opportunities

Mentorship Connections

  • California Early Childhood Mentor Program (CECMP):

    • A CDSS-funded program operating at nearly 100 community colleges across California

    • Connects experienced mentors with developing providers, students, teachers, and administrators

    • Offers professional development through individual mentoring and Communities of Practice (CoP)

    • Supports a diverse workforce across family child care programs, private centers, State Preschools, and Head Start

    • Visit cecmp.org to find a coordinator near you and learn about becoming a mentor or finding a mentor

  • PITC Regional Support Network (RSN):

    • CDSS-funded professional development program for infant/toddler teachers, administrators, and family child care providers

    • Offers subsidized online and on-site training, mentoring, and coaching in responsive, relationship-based care

    • Provides training through PITC Regional Support Network employees and PITC Partner Trainers

    • Funding is distributed based on the number of infants and toddlers in each county

    • Contact your local PITC Regional Coordinator to learn about available training in your area

  • Family Child Care Home Education Networks (FCCHENs):

    • CDSS-funded networks that provide comprehensive support to family child care providers

    • Offer one-on-one mentoring through early childhood coaches and program specialists

    • Provide regular site visits with feedback on environments, curriculum, and quality improvement

    • Help providers implement assessment tools like DRDP and quality rating scales like FCCERS

    • Support professional development through training, resources, and action planning

    • Contact your local R&R agency to learn about FCCHEN opportunities in your area

Advocacy Opportunities

    • LPCs exist in every California county to plan for child care services based on local community needs

    • They serve as forums to address child care needs for all families, both subsidized and non-subsidized

    • LPCs conduct child care needs assessments at least every five years and set local priorities

    • Providers can contact the CDSS Child Care and Development Division at [email protected] or 916-651-5382 to learn about involvement opportunities in their county

Resource Navigation Guide

Efficiently Finding What You Need on the CDSS Website

Creating a Personalized Professional Development Pathway

  1. Assess your current knowledge and program needs

  2. Identify relevant CECO modules and CDSS publication resources

  3. Connect with your local R&R for additional training opportunities

  4. Track your progress and set specific implementation goals

  5. Join peer networks to sustain your learning and growth

Quick Reference Chart: Key Resources by Provider Need

Provider Need

CCLD Resource

CCDD Resource

New provider guidance

Licensing orientation, pre-licensing consultations

CCIP training, R&R technical assistance

Staff development

CECO, Streaming videos, professional development programs

Program quality

Challenging behaviors

Inclusion support

Beginning Together, inclusion resources

Business practices

Licensing fee structures, capacity management


Last updated: April 2025. For the most current resource information, always check the CDSS website or contact your local Resource & Referral agency.

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