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.

The process of searching for child care is undeniably one of the most difficult processes for families with young children to navigate. Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies play a critical role in partnering with families to ensure they have information to make the right child care choice for their family. We are excited to share with you a newly refreshed suite of on-the-go child care information brochures that you can use to bolster your own consumer education offerings.

In 2017, the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (ELOC), the not-for-profit agency tasked by the state of Florida to ensure young children’s school readiness, which serves families and early childhood programs in the greater Orlando community, launched a new professional development (PD) program called LENA Grow as a way to increase quality in infant and toddler classrooms.

Added Sugars Intake among US Infants and Toddlers 

Herrick, K.A., Fryar, C.D., Hamner, H.C., Park, S., and Ogden, C.L. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (January 2020). 

Background: Eating and drinking foods with added sugars has been associated with several health conditions including asthma, obesity, dental cavities and high blood pressure in children. The current national guidelines for nutrition only provide recommendations for people over the age of 2. This study looks at added sugar consumption rates among infants and toddlers by race, age, sex and family education and income level. 

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.

Imagine being four-years-old and losing your favorite stuffed animal and familiar routines because your home was destroyed by a flood. You watch your parents cry and keep asking, “When can we go home? I want my stuffed tiger.” You do not exactly understand what is happening, but you are sad and scared.