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.

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.

As a business leader, you’ve noticed it is becoming more and more difficult to hire and retain qualified workers. You’ve likely even considered the longer-term scenarios – will it be even more challenging to secure a reliable and productive workforce five or 10 or even 20 years from now?  

I'm Tricia Howland, the Director of Family & Community Engagement at Brightside Up, Inc. I’ve been at the agency for 20 years helping parents find child care, engaging in community events and facilitating family workshops. Vroom has been an exciting addition to the work we do at the Brightside Up, Inc. The Brightside Up agency was one of the first ten Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&R) to become an ambassador in a pilot project of the Child Care Aware^® of America Vroom Partnership initiative.

By bringing Vroom to the Capital District area of Albany, New York, we were able to share the brain building benefits of play with the community we serve. It has allowed us to boost family engagement and provide information on the importance of relationship building, all while supporting the early years of a child’s development.

Brain development is a complex process involving chemical and electrical interactions. We now have decades of research describing how learning occurs and how brains develop. We have equipment that allows us to watch the brain in action and we now know about synaptic pruning.

None of that really matters to a mom who just wants to do the best she can to help her child thrive.
None of that really matters to a dad who lives for the moments that he sees his child’s eyes light up in wonder. What matters to them is that they can do something to help their child learn, grow and prosper – to fulfill the promise that exists between parent and child from the moment of birth.    

That’s where Vroom comes in.

The 2019 Leadership Institute has come to an end, and we are in full planning mode for our 2020 Symposium – Breakthrough Barriers, Breakout Solutions on May 3 - 6 in Crystal City, Virginia. But before we put the 2019 Leadership Institute to bed, I wanted to share some of the highlights from the week.