Child Care Resource & Referral Agency wins 2014 Maps Community Foundation Competition

SALEM, OR (October 22, 2014) -- The Community Action Agency's Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) of Marion, Polk & Yamhill Counties was announced as the winner of the 2014 Maps Community Foundation Community Challenge Award at Maps Credit Union's annual member and business meeting last night. 

This year's competition focused on the finding solutions to help increase access to affordable, high-quality child care for working parents in Maps Credit Union's service area. This topic focus was selected through voting on the credit union's Facebook page (facebook.com/mapscu). The winner receives a $1,000 award and works with the foundation to select a local nonprofit to also receive a $1,000 donation. 

The winning idea, submitted on behalf of CCR&R by program director Shannon Vandehey. Vandehey's idea is to integrate the Kids Matter Child Care Finder app into the slate of services CCR&R offers to local families seeking child care. The app contains information about local child care providers as well as information on how to select a high-quality provider that parents can access at no charge 24/7 using an iOS or Android smartphone. No child care referral agency in Oregon is currently using the app. 

In her submission, Vandehey noted that finding child care is time consuming, especially for parents who don't know where to find the information they need. The app gives an option for "expert advice and support at any time ... reducing the barriers working families face." 

Vandehey's entry was the clear winner, said Mitzi Smith, Maps Credit Union's community development officer, because it was based on her knowledge of what families need and because of its innovative use of technology to provide it without increasing the burden on agency staff. 

Vandehey chose Catholic Community Service to receive the $1,000 donation. CCR&R will put their $1,000 award toward the setup costs associated with the Child Care Finder app. 

The Maps Community Foundation was organized in 2011 to deliver asset-building services to local communities. The 501(c)3 organization lives its mission, "Building financial security through education," by partnering with community groups to increase access to education, to provide financial education, and to support asset development in the areas we serve. 

Maps Credit Union has come a long way since a group of 17 volunteers joined together in 1935, running the credit union out of kitchens and living rooms in homes throughout Marion County. Today, Maps serves more than 45,000 members in Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton, Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties. The credit union has nine branches located in east, west, south and central Salem; Keizer; the Willamette University campus; Monmouth; Woodburn; and Silverton. The credit union also instructs students and operates three non-profit student branches as school-to-work labs for high school business courses at North Salem, West Salem and McKay high schools.