Quality Rating 5: Community Resources
Instructions
To meet the requirements for Administrative Policies and Practices: Community Resources: ADM 13.5 and 14.5, you will provide a statement that describes:
- Community resources available to families and staff, including your local public library
- Referral resources available to families and staff for children with special health care needs and disabilities
- How resources are identified and kept current
- Ways families and staff access and use the available resources
The Policy or Statement Builder provides a step-by-step guide for creating your statement.
Community and Referral Resources
Accessing and sharing resources help connect families, children, and staff members to the community. These community connections are opportunities to participate in events, workshops, and community groups that offer beneficial information, support, and services. Social service and child advocacy agencies are examples of resources available within a community. Others include:
What does the documentation look like?
A written statement that describes:
- Resources available in your community, including your local public library, referral resources and early intervention/special education resources
- How you select and update these resources
- How resources are accessed and used by families and staff members.
You may use photos in addition to your statement to show how resources are made available to families (example: photo of a bulletin board with resource information displayed).
Policy or Statement Builder
Develop a statement that describes how your program identifies, updates, accesses and uses community resources. The Reflection Questions below will help you think about what you do in your program to capture it when creating your statement. Once you have spent time reflecting on the questions below, you’re ready to write your Community Resources Statement.
- What community resources are shared with families and staff?
- What referral resources do you share with families and staff regarding children with disabilities and special health care needs?
- How do you identify the resources that meet the needs of your program?
- How do you keep the resources current?
- How do you share the resources with families and staff?
Use of Community Resources
- What community resources are accessed and used by the program? (must include the local public library)
- How do you learn about the community resources that you use?
- How are the community resources used in your program?
- How do you identify the community resources that meet the needs of your program?
- What is the process used for updating the community resources?
Once you have spent time reflecting on the questions, you have the option to download and save the Community Resources template to create your statement.
Technology Tips
Download the PDF.
Save the PDF.
Print the PDF.
Edit the PDF.
Do you need more time to think about writing your statement? Use Writers Tips and Prompts to find examples and get more guidance.
Where can you learn more?
- Sharing Community Resources Find tips for providing community resources to families in meaningful and engaging ways.
- Maryland Child Care Resource Network Contact your local child care resource center for assistance in finding and accessing resources. Resource centers offer guidance on the types of resources available to support the families and children in your program.
