The success of the Champaign County Nursing Home Child Care Center (CCNHCCC) in Illinois provides a model for the establishment of child care centers in nursing homes. Needs assessment, financial support, licensing, staff hiring and training are all important factors that need to addressed in the start up and running of such a program. The establishment of an intergenerational program at a facility of this type is intended to draw elderly residents out of seclusion and isolation and to make it possible for the children to benefit from the residents' love and affection. Mutual activities and interaction promote a fresh and unique understanding between the two age groups in an atmosphere of happiness and compassion. An onsite child care center helps recruit and retain employees with child care needs, while the nursing home atmosphere takes on a personal, friendlier, and more family-like tone. The program has a positive influence on children's perceptions of the elderly, of disabilities, and of nursing homes, as well as providing the elderly with an atmosphere of revitalized interest and social enrichment. (MT)