WASHINGTON, D.C., — Child Care Aware® of America, the nation’s leading voice in child care advocacy today announced the release of the 2015 State Fact Sheets, which profile child care indicators across all 50 states. This annual report compiles data from federal and national sources, as well as state Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies and other state agencies to assess the use, supply, and cost of child care, the child care workforce, and the services provided by CCR&Rs.

Washington, D.C. – Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is proud to announce the recognition of a silver ‘Power of A’ award from ASAE and the Center for Association Leadership.

Washington, D.C. -- Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), along with Casey (D-PA), Hirono (D-HI), Franken (D-MN), Markey (D-MA), et al on Tuesday, introduced the Strong Start for America’s Children Act of 2015 in the Senate. The legislation would follow much of the ideas set forth in President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union address, creating a new program providing enhanced access to prekindergarten for low- and moderate-income families, expanding partnerships between Early Head Start and child care programs, and providing funding for the education of children with disabilities.

Washington, D.C. – Thanks to a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) will expand its technical assistance activities in targeted states emphasizing health, nutrition, and obesity prevention, key components of Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) implementation. This two-year grant will leverage this unique opportunity to work with 6 – 8 states to integrate healthy eating, nutrition, and obesity prevention best practices in their state plans and priorities. To accomplish this, CCAoA will partner with and provide tools, resources, and on-site training and technical assistance to Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies and their community-based partners in early care and education focused on moving the needle on healthy communities. Ultimately, this grant will encourage states to incorporate health and nutrition as key components of quality child care.

Washington, D.C. – 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) are pleased to announce the launch of a new Provider of the Month program (www.providerappreciationday.org), which will kick off on May 8, 2015 – Provider Appreciation Day.