I have always worked in the nonprofit sector, but I found my calling 14 years ago when I began as the Executive Director of Child Care Aware® of Minnesota. Formerly the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network, Child Care Aware® of Minnesota serves as the backbone to 14 agencies that support child care providers, families, and children in Minnesota. We are a statewide system of agencies that have helped more than 600,000 families find quality child care and have supported the professional growth of more than 100,000 child care professionals.

Senator and Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, opened the Senate floor debate on the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014. The bipartisan reauthorization will expand access to and improve the quality of child care for the more than 1.5 million children and families that benefit from the federal child care subsidy program.

Child care providers—regardless of whether you refer to them as early childhood professionals, educators, or teachers—play a vital role in the early education and care of children. This is especially important given that the early years of a child’s life are the most critical for development. We know that children who receive high-quality child care benefit long-term from these early learning experiences. However, despite the importance of high-quality child care, child care providers earn less per hour than many other professionals within the personal care industry.

Spotlight

Cindy Hodges, provider, Tioga Early Childhood Development Center, Tioga, Texas

Child care providers have a unique role to play when it comes to being prepared for many types of hazards and emergencies.