10.3.4.4: Development of List of Providers of Services to Facilities

The local regulatory agency or resource and referral agency should assist centers and small and large family child care homes to formulate and maintain a list of community professionals and agencies available to provide needed health, dental, and social services to families.

RATIONALE

Families depend on their child care facilities to provide information about obtaining health and dental care and other community services. A number of communities have Family Resource Centers, which are central points for information. It is important that regulatory agencies and resource and referral agencies have knowledge of family resource centers or can provide a directory of community services to child care facilities.

Partnerships among health care professionals and community agencies are necessary to provide a medical home for all children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defines the medical home as care that is accessible, family-centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally competent. The medical home is not a building, house, or hospital, but an approach to providing health care services in a high-quality and cost-effective manner (1,2). Health care professionals and other community service agencies are beginning to recognize that child care facilities are a logical opportunity to provide information or referral of children to a medical home. Child care programs also provide opportunities for education in health promotion and disease prevention for children and families (3).

REFERENCES

1. Kempe, A., B. Beaty, B. P. Englund, R. J. Roark, N. Hester, J. F. Steiner. 2000. Quality of care and use of the medical home in a state-funded capitated primary care plan for low-income children. Pediatrics 105:1020-28.
2. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2008. Policy statement: The medical home. Pediatrics 122:450.
3. Gupta, R. S., S. Shuman, E. M. Taveras, M. Kulldorff, J. A. Finkelstein. 2005. Opportunities for health promotion education in child care. Pediatrics 116: e499-e505.