Fireworks went off when I was born…or at least that is what my Mom told me. I think it was more like flares than fireworks.  You see I was born while my Dad was deployed to Vietnam. Apparently, nothing could keep my Mom, a very young mother, from calling her husband about his second-born daughter’s birth. Nothing. Despite his being in a war zone, on a mountain, in a tent, she demanded he know. She picked up the phone from her hospital room, dialed “0” and started from there.  My mom exemplified the type of scrappy determination military families cultivate as they regularly uproot their lives in service to their country and in support of their active duty spouses.

Child Care Aware® of America's Senior Director for Emergency Preparedness, Andrew Roszak, is keeping track of all things disaster-related. He recently authored an in-depth look at recent federal initiatives aimed at protecting children in disasters, which appears at Domestic Preparedness.com.

In May, Child Care Aware^® of America (CCAoA) will begin piloting the Family Voices, Quality Choices resource suite—a collection of child care consumer information and outreach materials—at two Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies for a period of four months. Child Care Services Association in North Carolina and Child Care Aware^® of Kansas have partnered with CCAoA to feature these materials in their consumer engagement efforts.

It was a news article that changed the arc of Carla Wallin’s career. In the early 2000s, the article reported the results of a research study on breastfeeding rates in the U.S. Rates were falling, and the dip was associated with women returning to work or school after giving birth.

Spotlight

Barb Sinner, Barb’s Daycare, West Fargo, ND

April has always been one of my favorite months. We emerge from the drabness of winter into blooming colors and sun filled days. Spring never fails to refresh and renew my spirit.

April is also the Month of the Military Child and, as a military mom who raised three military children in an Army family, it is also a bittersweet reminder of how quickly time passes.