TOP PHOTO: Program Coordinator for the East/Upper East CCR&R Heather Lamb and Quality Coach Rhonda Delcarmen guest spoke at Rotary. Their organization provides free training and services for licensed child care facilities.

By Charlotte Underwood 

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Two representatives from Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) spoke at the South Campbell County Rotary Club luncheon on Tuesday.

Program Coordinator for the East/Upper East CCR&R Heather Lamb and Quality Coach Rhonda Delcarmen talked a little about what their organization does for licensed child care facilities.

Operating on grant funds under the umbrella of the University of Tennessee, the organization’s main goal is to provide support and services in multiple areas for East Tennessee Child Care facilities. They work only with licensed facilities.

East/Upper East CCR&R is part of a nationwide network of resource and referral agencies.

“We work with early childhood professionals to improve their craft,” Lamb said. She also said that “child care was in a crisis across the nation” with not enough childcare employees and many of them underpaid. We try to support them with training and coaching free of cost,” Lamb said.  

According to CCR&R Quality Coach Rhonda Delcarmen, the organization has multiple coaches to provide services in different areas. These include infant/toddler coaches, Inclusion Coaches trained in working with kids with special needs, technology coaches and more. 

“We strive to have quality programs teaching our educators how to help our kids,” Delcarmen said. 

“Early Childhood development is where it’s at. It doesn’t start when they go to school, it starts when they are born,” Lamb said. 

Not only does CCR&R promote quality childcare programs, it is also a resource for parents to find quality childcare. 

There are seven Child Care Resource and Referral Centers across Tennessee that assist both parents and providers for free.

For more information about CCRR, visit HERE.

In other Rotary news, Rotarians continued to pass out dictionaries to Campbell County third graders, going to White Oak and Wynn this week. All third graders in the county will receive a dictionary through the Rotary Club as part of its Literacy Service Project. The dictionaries were donated by Tomi Ayers in remembrance of her husband, long time Rotarian Hack Ayers.

The South Campbell County Rotary Club is also beginning a hygiene supply drive for LaFollette and Jacksboro Middle School students. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 05/11/2022-6AM)

Related