Section 410-Q. Child care resource and referral program services

1. Each
  agency approved to receive funding pursuant to this title shall, to  the
  extent funds are available for such purposes, provide the following:
    (a)  Information  and  referral services directed at educating parents
  who contact the agency regarding early childhood  services  options  and
  methods  of  selecting  the  best option for his or her child; referring
  parents or guardians to early childhood  services  providers;  informing
  parents  about the availability of financial assistance and tax credits;
  referral for parents in coordinating part-day early  childhood  services
  providers  and  programs  to  meet  the  full-day care needs of parents;
  referrals for parents of preschool children with handicapping conditions
  pursuant to section forty-four hundred ten  of  the  education  law  and
  section   twenty-five  hundred  forty-two  of  the  public  health  law;
  providing written information to those who contact  the  agency  seeking
  information  about  early  childhood  services;  maintaining  a provider
  resource file and a file of parents currently  seeking  early  childhood
  services;  and  publicizing child care resource and referral services as
  necessary to assure that the availability of those services are known to
  the community;
    (b) Services directed at expanding the number of available family  day
  care providers and recruiting potential providers; providing information
  on licensing and registration requirements and available funding sources
  to  potential  early  childhood  services  providers  and  programs; and
  assisting  individuals  or  organizations  to  qualify  as  legal  early
  childhood  services  providers  or  programs by providing information on
  applicable laws and regulations relating to  zoning,  taxes,  insurance,
  government  licensing  or  registration, and other matters of concern to
  new providers;  (c)  Services  directed  at  maintaining  and  providing
  information and resources on early childhood training and other relevant
  programs for prospective and current providers;
    (d)  Services  directed  at  developing  and maintaining provider data
  bases to determine service utilization and unmet  needs  for  additional
  early childhood services;
    (e)  Assuring  access  to  the United States department of agriculture
  child care food program for providers in the service area;
    (f) Services directed at providing written  materials  and  conducting
  outreach  to employers to encourage their support of child care resource
  and referral services and other early childhood services; and
    (g) Each agency funded herein  shall  provide  services  in  a  manner
  responsive  to  the cultural, linguistic and economic characteristics of
  the community served.
    2. Enhanced services which an agency agrees to provide pursuant  to  a
  contract  may  include  one  or  more  of  the following:   (a) Services
  directed at expanding the supply of regulated care in areas  where  such
  care is not readily available;
    (b)  Services  directed  at  enhancing the availability and quality of
  early childhood services which serve families with particular  language,
  ethnic and cultural backgrounds;
    (c) Services directed at meeting the early childhood services needs of
  children with special needs;
    (d)  Training  or  technical  assistance  services  targeted  to  meet
  specific local early childhood services needs; and
    (e)  Services  directed  at  promoting,  coordinating  and   assisting
  collaborative  efforts  between  early  childhood services providers and
  programs to meet the local need for full-day early childhood services.