Chrisi West

Chrisi West
Chrisi has more than 11 years of experience in advocacy (grassroots and digital) through her work for nonprofits, and on candidate and issues organizing campaigns in Virginia and at the national level. She joined Child Care Aware of America in March 2015 and has supported the work of Child Care Aware of America on communications, digital organizing, and now as the director of advocacy, empowering CCR&Rs and family advocates to take action on child care and early childhood education.

Recent Posts

Congress Punts on Finishing Federal Budget Until March

By Chrisi West on November 21, 2016

Yesterday, House Republican leadership announced that they will draft another continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government until March 31, 2017. This is being done in consultation with President-Elect Donald Trump's transition team. There is bipartisan opposition to this proposal in the Senate, however it appears unlikely that it would be filibustered. The current CR expires on December 9, 2016.

Topics: Policy & Advocacy

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Leaving for Logan: Looking for an Oasis in a Child Care Desert

By Chrisi West on November 21, 2016

The importance of high-quality, affordable child care affects everyone. In the spirit of the holiday giving season, Child Care Aware® of America is pleased to share with you a special edition story in Faces of Child Care, a series of stories from individuals of various walks of life who are affected by child care.

Read Ashley’s story below to learn more about how you can help Child Care Aware® of America work to ensure that every family in America has access to high-quality, affordable child care.

Topics: Family Stories, Parenting

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September 2016 Child Care Provider of the Month: Brenda’s Child Care

By Chrisi West on November 01, 2016

Arlington, VA – Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), National Head Start Association (NHSA), and National Indian Child Care Association (NICCA) would like to congratulate Brenda Petith and the staff at Brenda’s Child Care, LLC in North Logan, Utah. They have been named Provider of the Month for September 2016.

Topics: Workforce, Family Stories, News

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Child Care Aware® of America Report Focuses on Barriers to Early Education for Boys of Color

By Chrisi West on October 14, 2016

Arlington, VA – Overall, boys of color (primarily African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives) face structural obstacles that stack the odds against their success in school and in life. They are more likely to grow up in low-income households, and less likely to attend high-quality schools, starting in very early childhood.

Topics: Systems Building, Workforce, News

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Minnesota Receives Child Care Emergency Preparedness Grant

By Chrisi West on October 06, 2016

Arlington, Va. – Child Care Aware® of Minnesota was recently awarded the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies as Resilience Hubs grant. Grant funding from Child Care Aware® of America will support a new project designed to strengthen emergency preparedness efforts for children, parents, and child care providers, and to enhance coordination with first responder and disaster response organizations.

Topics: Systems Building, Family & Community Engagement, Health & Safety, News

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Kansas Begins Two-Year Project to Focus on Emergency Preparedness for Child Care

By Chrisi West on September 21, 2016

Arlington, Va. -- Child Care Aware® of Kansas was recently awarded the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies as Resilience Hubs grant. Grant funding from Child Care Aware® of America will support a new two-year project designed to strengthen emergency preparedness efforts for children, parents, and child care providers and also enhance coordination with first responder and disaster response organizations. This project will create new trainings, resources, publications, and tools to benefit the 15,612 professionals that work in the early childhood field in Kansas.

Topics: Systems Building, Professional Development, Health & Safety

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