1989
Child Care Resource & Referral began in Iowa
CCR&R services first launched in Iowa to help address the growing need for child care support and resources for families and providers.
1991
Training services began
CCR&R expanded services to include professional development and training opportunities for child care providers.
1992
CCR&R became a statewide program
CCR&R agencies were charged with providing services to families, child care providers, and communities across Iowa.
1997
Regional CCR&R offices established
Regional offices were required due to welfare reform and increased child care needs across Iowa communities.
1998
Parent referral database system introduced
CCR&R began using NACCRRAware to support statewide parent referrals and child care searches.
1999
Community partnerships expanded
Iowa Community Empowerment began funding CCR&R programs to help meet local child care needs.
Child Care Nurse Consultant program launched
A Child Care Nurse Consultant was established within each CCR&R lead agency.
2001
Provider recruitment and retention support expanded
Funding from the Iowa Department of Human Services helped reorganize CCR&R services to better support child care workforce needs.
2002
Infant and toddler initiative launched
The statewide Program for Infants and Toddlers began providing training and technical support focused on infant and toddler care.
2003
Janet George Leadership Award established
The Child Care and Early Education Network established the Janet George Leadership Award in memory of Janet George, a leader in Iowa’s Child Care Resource & Referral system since the 1980s.
The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership, mentorship, commitment to quality service, and dedication to Iowa children, families, and child care providers.
Child Star Award established
The Child Star Award was created to recognize community leaders, organizations, and partners who demonstrate a strong commitment to young children, child care, and early childhood communities across Iowa.
2006
Iowa Quality Rating System implemented
Iowa introduced the Quality Rating System (QRS) to support quality improvement in child care programs.
2007
Leadership recognition
Jerri Leighton of CCR&R of Southeast Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
2008
CCR&R agencies achieved Quality Assurance standards
All five Iowa CCR&R agencies reached Quality Assurance standards, demonstrating continuous quality and excellence in service delivery.
Leadership recognition
Carol Jensen of CCR&R of Southwest Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award for excellence in Parent Services support.
2010
Statewide training registry released
The Iowa Department of Human Services launched the Early Care and Education Training Registry.
2011
Statewide service model updated
The Iowa Department of Human Services implemented a new statewide service model to better serve families and providers.
Consultation standards strengthened
The i-Consult credential became required for all Child Care Consultants.
Application support centralized through CCR&R
Child Care Assistance applications and Child Development Home applications began being submitted through CCR&R.
2012
Statewide communication support added
The Statewide Communication Specialist position was established to support statewide communication, marketing, and resource development efforts.
Community Development Specialists added
CCR&R expanded support for community and workforce development initiatives.
Leadership recognition
MariLynn Pierce of CCR&R of Northeast Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
2014
Federal child care legislation strengthened quality requirements
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) of 2014 focused on strengthening child care systems to better support children and families.
Statewide website launched
CCR&R launched a statewide website to improve access to information and resources.
Leadership recognition
Mary Jo Huddleston of CCR&R of Southeast Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
2015
ChildNet 2.0 Update
ChildNet 2.0 curriculum update.
IQ4K Specialists added statewide
IQ4K Specialists were added to each CCR&R region to support Iowa’s quality initiatives.
Positive behavior supports expanded
Iowa became the first state in the nation to offer Early Childhood Positive Behavior Intervention Supports for Family Child Care through training and consultation.
Leadership recognition
Julie Ingersoll of the Iowa Department of Human Services received the Janet George Leadership Award.
2016
Emergency preparedness initiatives expanded
CCR&R helped establish coordinated emergency preparedness and disaster response planning for child care providers statewide.
Providers gained access to consultation, tools, templates, and emergency planning resources.
Leadership recognition
Cathy Wheatcraft of CCR&R of Central Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
2017
Child Care Complaint Hotline launched
A statewide Child Care Complaint Hotline was introduced to support families and child care accountability.
Janet George Leadership Award recipient recognized
Sarah Boleyn of CCR&R of Northeast Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
2018
CCR&R 25th Anniversary
CCR&R celebrated 25 years of statewide service, supporting Iowa’s children, families, child care providers, and communities.
Early Childhood Day on the Hill
CCR&R participated in Early Childhood Day on the Hill, presenting child care desert data to inform discussions on Iowa’s child care needs.
2019
Statewide curriculum support expanded
A Statewide Curriculum Specialist position was added to strengthen professional development and curriculum support services.
Parent referral services centralized
Parent referral services became centralized to improve statewide support and consistency.
i-PoWeR launched
The i-PoWeR Professional Workforce Registry was released to support Iowa’s child care workforce.
Janet George Leadership Award recipients recognized
Peg DeLoe of CCR&R of Southeast Iowa and Linda Daggett of CCR&R of Northwest Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
Child Star Award recipients recognized
Iowa Senator Jeff Danielson and Dawn Oliver Wiand, Executive Director of the Iowa Women’s Foundation, received the Child Star Award for their commitment to young children, child care, and Iowa communities.
2020
ChildNet 3.0 released
ChildNet 3.0 launched in both online and in-person formats.
Child Care Ready introduced
CCR&R expanded support for individuals interested in becoming child care providers.
Virtual business training released
All Our Kin Virtual Business Training became available statewide for providers.
2021
Texting platform launched
CCR&R introduced a texting platform to improve communication and outreach.
COVID-19 child care response support
CCR&R assisted the Department of Human Services with Iowa’s COVID-19 child care response efforts, supporting child care business start-ups and expansion initiatives across Iowa.
Janet George Leadership Award recipient recognized
Julie Allison, Child Care Bureau Chief for the Iowa Department of Human Services, received the Janet George Leadership Award.
Child Star Award recipient recognized
All Iowa CCR&R staff received the Child Star Award in recognition of their dedication and service supporting Iowa families, providers, and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022
Iowa Quality for Kids (IQ4K) introduced
Iowa launched Iowa Quality for Kids (IQ4K), Iowa’s quality rating and improvement system.
Behavioral health support expanded
Statewide Behavioral Health Specialists were added to strengthen provider and child support services.
IQ4K support expanded statewide
Additional IQ4K Specialists were added across Iowa regions.
Statewide curriculum support expanded
A second Statewide Curriculum Specialist position was added.
Updated database systems released
NDS 2.0 database systems were launched to support statewide services and data management.
Janet George Leadership Award recipient recognized
Cassie Reuter of CCR&R of Northwest Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
Child Star Award recipients recognized
Dan Levi of Levi Architecture and Lori Schonhorst of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach received the Child Star Award for strengthening early childhood systems and community partnerships in Iowa.
2023
Point-in-Time data tool launched
CCR&R released a county-level Point-in-Time data tool featuring current child care data.
Practice-Based Coaching introduced
Providers gained access to Practice-Based Coaching support services.
Continuous Quality Improvement training expanded
CCR&R introduced Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) training opportunities.
2024
Behavioral health support expanded statewide
Behavioral Health Specialists were added for each CCR&R agency.
Online professional development support expanded
A Statewide Online Professional Development Specialist position was added to strengthen statewide training access and support.
Janet George Leadership Award recipients recognized
Jen Hottle of CCR&R of Northeast Iowa and Becky White of CCR&R of Southeast Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award.
Child Star Award recipient recognized
Micki Beard of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services received the Child Star Award for leadership and support of Iowa’s child care system.
2025
Janet George Leadership Award recipient recognized
Beth Hanisch of CCR&R of Northeast Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award for commitment to Iowa child care and provider support.
Child Star Award recipient recognized
Cindy Thompson of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach received the Child Star Award for dedication to early childhood and community partnership efforts across Iowa.
2026
Janet George Leadership Award recipient recognized
Monique Ortiz of CCR&R of Northwest Iowa received the Janet George Leadership Award for commitment to Iowa child care and provider support.
Child Star Award recipient recognized
Jessie Mireles of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services received the Child Star Award for contributions to early childhood and child care initiatives across Iowa.