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Home Families How to Choose

How to Choose

Child care resource and referral agencies can help you find child care

Local child care resource and referral agencies (R&Rs) are located in every county and provide a variety of services to parents and families seeking child care, to providers seeking professional development, and to communities seeking support for young children.

Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

A graphic shows a picture of a mother and her children, a map of California, and three questions about R & Rs, with answers. On the left, the mother is shown with an infant in her arms and a child standing next to the mother. The mother is saying, “Wherever you are, there are resources in your area!” To her right is a map of the state of California. To the right of the map are three questions and answers.
Question 1: What are resource and referral agencies? Answer: Child care resource and referral agencies
Question 2: Where are they located? Answer: All over California!
Question 3: What do they offer? Answer: Free resources and key information

Find your local child care resource and referral agency

How to Find Resource and Referral Agencies

A graphic shows four rectangular boxes, each with text and a picture.
Box 1 shows a map of California and says, “Select your county from the map to display its R and R website and contact information.”
Box 2 shows a picture of a telephone and says, “You can also call 1-800-KIDS-793 (1-800-543-7793) to locate an R & R in your area.”
Box 3 shows a picture of a magnifying glass and says, “Once you’ve found your local R and R website, use the child care search tool to find child care programs in your area. The website may refer you to call a phone counselor to assist you by phone.”
Box 4 shows a picture of a clipboard with a checklist on it and says, “With the child care list from your local R and R, plan and schedule to visit the programs in person.”

Elements of quality to consider when looking for child care

Elements of Quality to Consider

A graphic shows a picture of a family with four questions in rectangles surrounding them. The family consists of a mother holding an infant girl and a father holding the hand of a toddler boy. Their dog is sitting next to them.
Rectangle 1 asks, “What do they like to do with children?”
Rectangle 2 asks, “What are their feelings about discipline?”
Rectangle 3 asks, “How do they handle naps, eating, toilet training?”
Rectangle 4 asks, “How would they handle an emergency?”

Try the following approach to help refine your child care search

Download a printable version of this list via the Quality Counts California resource library. A reminder: This printable list is available via the Collaboration in Common link given above; once this digital library, see the PDF file in your browser for download or print.


1. Interview and observe potential providers with the child.

  1. Explore why the individual providers want to care for children.
  2. How do they feel about this work?
  3. Are individual providers warm, caring, attentive, and responsive to the child who will be in this early learning setting?


2. Ask potential providers:

  1. What do they like to do with children?
  2. What are their feelings about discipline?
  3. How do they handle naps, eating, toilet training?
  4. How would they handle an emergency?


3. Ask a lot of “what if” questions, for example:

  1. What if my child cries all day?
  2. What if my child refuses to eat?
  3. What if my child refuses to nap?


4. Check references, work history, and licensing information.

California’s Department of Social Services Child Care Licensing Program

5. Trust your instincts! Hire someone you like and feel safe and comfortable with.

Hire someone your children like and feel safe and comfortable with.

6. Communicate with your provider.

Once you have found a good provider, be sure to communicate regularly and openly about how the child care arrangement is working.

Adapted from: https://rrnetwork.org/family-services/choosing-child-care

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  • Zero to Three
  • Child Care Aware
  • United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

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