We’re so pleased to welcome two new board members, Dr. Rajiv Suri and Kimberly McDougal. Both bring a wealth of expertise to Child Care Aware of America’s (CCAoA) Board of Directors, and we want to celebrate that knowledge with a two-part Q and A (the second part will be in a March blog post.) This month, we interview Rajiv.  

On Jan. 29, Child Care Aware^® of America (CCAoA) officially joined the Defense Department’s Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), through a formal induction ceremony. As part of this partnership, CCAoA became one of more than 200 new organizations joining MSEP, adding to the network of more than 850 employers dedicated to recruiting, hiring, promoting, and retaining military spouses in meaningful careers. 

Maegan Loktoff’s “aha moment” came while attending a virtual presentation provided by Child Care Aware® of America’s (CCAoA) Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery team. Maegan, Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance’s (ECCLA) Executive Director, reached out to CCAoA, sharing, “Disaster readiness is a topic near and dear to my heart and something our members have been asking for!” Recent wildfires underscored the critical need for disaster planning coordination.   

Here’s the second part of a Q and A with Child Care Aware® of America’s Executive Director of Respite Care of America (RCoA) Fran Jamison and Senior Vice President of Program Impact Ariel Ford, we continue the conversation from part one regarding key takeaways from the National Child Care Innovation Summit: Business Leaders in Action and their sessions.                    

On Dec. 3-4, Child Care Aware® of America’s Executive Director of Respite Care of America (RCoA) Fran Jamison and Senior Vice President of Program Impact Ariel Ford participated in the National Child Care Innovation Summit: Business Leaders in Action. The event, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), and presented by the David and Laura Merage Foundation, aimed to "dive deep" into how the business community can support their employees and working communities in tackling child care challenges that are preventing families and economies from thriving. Fran coordinated experts for a panel that highlighted the U.S. Military’s approach to child care, how parts of it might translate to the private sector, and how child care plays a critical role in national security. Ariel presented on a panel that highlighted emerging issues in child care in disaster preparedness, relief, and resilience.