Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) welcomes guest blog post that provide essential insights and information about the child care field.

This guest blog post features a program in Johnson County, Kansas, that strengthens child care providers' emergency preparedness capabilities through planning and training supports and exercises that allow providers to test their plans.

Child care providers play an essential role in the development and well-being of young children. However, the demanding nature of the job coupled with low wages may negatively affect their physical health, emotional well-being and overall quality of life. It is important for child care providers to prioritize self-care and wellness to ensure they are able to provide the best care possible for the children and families they serve. Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) can offer the support providers need to care for themselves while they care for everyone else.  

“Provider Appreciation Day” sounds very official – but it doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s really just about saying “thank you” to America’s child care providers, many of whom are underpaid and overworked.  

A simple gesture can mean the world to the workforce that keeps the rest of the workforce going. Child Care Aware® of America makes it easy to say #ThankYouChildCare with our toolkit of resources in English and Spanish, and a few easy activities that can make a provider feel appreciated. 

Over the past several months there have been shortages in availability of infant formula due to product recalls and supply chain issues.  The shortage has placed families and many child care programs in a very stressful situation as they work to ensure young children are fed.  

Provider Appreciation Day® 2022 was celebrated on May 6. In the conclusion to this blog series for Provider Appreciation Day®, we’re highlighting how communities are honoring the contributions of their child care providers. Sign up to be a supporter for 2023 so you can be notified of new resources to plan your celebration.    

About the #ThankYouChildCare Twitter Chat