Join us in the nation’s capital for CCAoA’s 2018 Symposium and Annual Meeting. It is being held at the renowned Marriott Marquis—one great reason to attend. And while we believe that there are countless other reasons why you should participate, we’ve narrowed it to the “Seven Best”:

Child Care Aware® of America was proud to be a Gold Sponsor of the recent 2017 ZERO TO THREE conference. The event brought over 3,000 early childhood professionals to San Diego, CA November 29-December 1 for three days of learning, networking, and socializing.

As the end of the year nears, CCAoA’s Emergency Preparedness Team has been reflecting on the disasters that struck in 2017. Top-of-mind, of course, are the hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Our team worked directly with CCR&Rs affected by the storms and the providers they serve. This is the second of three blogs on lessons learned and our team’s advice for CCR&Rs about the critical things they need to do before, during, and after a disaster. Here's what you can do before a disaster.

Every child deserves the chance to eat healthy food and play every day. Because 60 percent of children under age six spend much of their time in care outside of their homes, early care and education settings are important places for children to build healthy habits.

Where are child care programs located? How many children attend child care programs? Where can I find child care after 8 p.m.?

Answering these questions is important as parents attempt to navigate the when, where, how and who of securing quality, affordable child care. Additionally, these questions become important after a disaster, particularly as communities attempt to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

In August, we celebrated National Back to School Month with parents and providers through our Back to School Blog Series and daily back to school tips. With the end of August comes the beginning of hurricane season, and with it Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Our emergency preparedness team has been hard at work, connecting with parents and child care providers and providing support, tools, and resources to those impacted by these storms. See the breaking news section below for information on our hurricane emergency response efforts. September is also National Preparedness Month, and we will be sharing more general emergency preparedness resources with parents and providers throughout the month.