It was a few days after my son’s second birthday. The day began, hurried as most and late as usual. I was doing my best to reach the office by 9 a.m.  I hadn’t quite mastered the art of juggling work and parenthood (Do we ever? Perhaps that’s a question for another blog post). But, I remember enjoying our time together after settling into the car for our 20 minute commute to his child care provider. It was our special time, talking and singing to our favorite music on the radio.

Over the past week, I have been inspired by the eloquent words of so many of my colleagues across our field who are also committed to the health and promise of each and every child, individual, family and community.   

By Aly Richards, CEO of Let’s Grow Kids and Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D., Executive Director of Child Care Aware^® of America

Any discussion of essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic should include the child care providers who are caring for the children of first responders, health care workers and other essential service workers. These providers are putting their own and their families’ health at risk and helping us through this pandemic. We must provide them with the financial, health and safety resources they need as essential personnel.   

In response to the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, Child Care Aware^® of America (CCAoA) Executive Director Dr. Lynette M. Fraga released the following statement:

 “The President’s FY 2021 Budget falls well short of meeting families’ needs. The proposal lacks the robust, long-term investment the child care system needs to ensure our children thrive. In addition, the very same families who struggle to access child care, are hit hard by the proposed Budget’s plans to cut or weaken the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), and other critical safety net programs.

Update Feb. 6 - On Jan. 30, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the new public charge rule will be effective as of Feb. 24, 2020, everywhere in the U.S. except Illinois, where a statewide preliminary injunction remains in place. This means that any green card applications that are postmarked or submitted electronically as of Feb. 24 will be subject to the new, broader public charge test. The DHS final rule only applies to immigrants who are applying for lawful permanent residency within the United States or who wish to apply in the future.

Congress and the White House have officially approved federal funding for the remainder of FY2020, reaching a bipartisan agreement that provides more than $1 billion in increased funding for federal early childhood programs, including: