April is the Month of the Military Child—a time to recognize and honor the sacrifices and contributions of military children. These young individuals serve in their own way, moving from place to place, adapting to new schools, and supporting their families as their parents serve our nation. For many, the journey of being a military child shapes their future in critical ways.

Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) organizations remain a vital force in connecting families, providers, businesses, and policymakers to build a stronger child care infrastructure—because making child care strong makes everyone stronger. Yet despite their profound impact, CCR&Rs are often underrecognized and underfunded. It's time to change that. 

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.  

By Donna Butts and Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D.  
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the essential role of caregivers, those who care for us when we are young and old, and given us an opportunity to reimagine care from a lifespan perspective. This will be particularly important after the pandemic permanently closes an estimated 30-50% of child care providers nationwide and the high death toll causes us to reimagine elder care homes.