Christina Koch and Diane Girouard

Christina Koch is currently the Federal Policy Analyst at Child Care Aware of America. Her background is in federal and state education policy and she also has experience providing direct social services to children and families. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communication from American University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she was awarded the Julee Kryder-Coe Award for Advocacy and Social Action. She is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Diane is currently the State Policy Analyst at Child Care Aware. Prior to this role, Diane was a policy analyst focused on child nutrition with the Food Research & Action Center. Diane also worked as a policy analyst for several years under both houses of the New York State Legislature on the education and higher education committees.

Recent Posts

Fall Federal and State Policy Updates

By Christina Koch and Diane Girouard on October 12, 2023



Federal Policy Update 

Last week, Congress avoided a government shutdown with just hours to spare before the October 1 deadline when federal funding was set to expire. This is a huge relief, as a government shutdown would have temporarily disrupted critical programs that children, families and communities rely on. However, child care and early education programs are not in the clear yet. Congress was able to pass a short-term spending bill, called a continuing resolution or CR, to fund the government through November 17 at the same funding levels as FY23. Although this prevented a shutdown, it is still a temporary solution and only buys a small amount of time before we face the same threat again come November.

Topics: Policy & Advocacy

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More Attention Needed on Child Care Following White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

By Christina Koch and Diane Girouard on October 06, 2022

Conference Recap

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