Dear Diary,

When I’m attending a conference for work, I’m usually so tired from attending sessions all day that I just grab a quick bite from the hotel’s restaurant and crash in the evening. Plus, I hate eating alone in public. It’s so boring!

But today was different. Tonight, I was invited to meet up with a few other members of Child Care Aware® of America, an organization that I joined a while back. Until now, I’ve not really had an opportunity to meet anyone who works there or network with other members. I was a little unsure of what to expect, but everyone was friendly, and the conversation was good! It was wonderful to meet others with the passion for quality care for children and great to meet other people like me. Now that I think about it, I would have never had conversations with members from other states, and I learned so much! It was insightful and a good time all around.

One year later, memories of the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey are grey and hazy, much like the lingering autumn skies that dropped trillions of gallons of water across Greater Houston. Before the flood waters receded, Collaborative for Children, the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency for the 13-county Greater Houston region, faced a critical challenge; With so many child care providers reaching out to report damage and rising concern that the storm had destabilized the entire child care network, we made the decision to step forward.

Child Care Aware® of America believes that every family has an important perspective to be considered when making decisions in child care and early learning programs, state systems and nationwide. We recently sat down with Sosha, a vocal child care advocate, so she could share her journey into advocacy with you. 

The Problem 

By law, child care programs must have a disaster plan to keep children and staff safe in an emergency. However, developing one can be complicated. 

Naturaleza o Crianza

Usted ha oído hablar de naturaleza o crianza. Es el clásico debate sobre la manera en que los niños crecen y desarrollan sus personalidades. "Naturaleza" se refiere a la idea de que los niños nacen de la manera que son, y que lo que nosotros hacemos tiene muy poca influencia sobre lo que van a ser. "Crianza" se refiere a la idea de que el ambiente en que se desenvuelve el niño y la manera en que lo crían son el factor fundamental en su desarrollo.

Have you heard? It seems as if everybody is talking about "brain development" - the term being used to describe new research into the importance of a child's earliest experiences. You may have read about it in a magazine, or seen it on the web. Maybe you're hearing it for the first time right here. What parents have known for years - that good early experiences are good for our children - is now being proven by doctors and scientists at research centers and universities all over the country.