Arlington, VA – The importance of high-quality, affordable child care continues to remain a high priority issue for Presidential candidates this election year. To date, both candidates have submitted child care proposals that could impact parents, including paid maternity or family leave and tax credits for families. Child Care Aware^® of America is closely following the candidates’ proposals and is focused on ensuring that this issue remain a national priority for the next administration.

Arlington, VA – Child Care Aware^® of America (CCAoA), the nation’s leading voice for child care, today announced the release of a comprehensive report Child Care Deserts: Developing Solutions to Child Care Supply and Demand, which addresses the issue of access to high-quality, affordable child care and the increasing gap between child care supply and demand for families across the country.

The International Federation of Environmental Health has declared September 26, 2016 World Environmental Health Day, with this year’s theme focused on tobacco control. Child Care Aware® of America and our partners, including the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), are focusing specifically on the negative health effects of second- and third-hand smoke to both individuals and societies.

You might be wondering, “What is a Child Care Desert?”.  Just as food deserts — urban areas where it’s difficult to buy affordable, fresh food — can have an adverse impact on nutrition, “child care deserts” identifies an absence of an essential commodity to support the workforce that results in limited access, which current child care systems do not meet.

Tulsa, Oklahoma - September is National Preparedness Month, and Child Care Resource Center is celebrating by kicking off a new two-year emergency preparedness project. Tulsa-based Child Care Resource Center, a program of the Community Service Council (a United Way partner agency), was recently awarded the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies as Resilience Hubs grant. The training program is designed to strengthen emergency preparedness efforts geared toward children, parents, and child care providers while also enhancing coordination with first responders and disaster response organizations.