WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) and the Bezos Family Foundation announce their continued partnership and renewed focus on supporting early care and education professionals as brain builders through Vroom.

Vroom is a global initiative that empowers parents and caregivers, including early care and education professionals, to boost children’s early learning and development through science-based tips and activities.  Vroom encourages families and caregivers to use routine interactions, like bath time and grocery shopping, to engage with children, strengthening their brain architecture and helping ensure children have a strong foundation for lifelong learning.  Vroom reaches families by working with trusted nonprofits, brand and media companies, and technology—including a mobile app, Vroom by Text, and an Alexa Skill.  All materials are free of cost, simple enough to fit into parents’ daily routines, and available right at their fingertips.
This expanded partnership will provide opportunities for deeper integration of advancements in brain science within Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies and with child care providers, and increase the reach of Vroom to families.  CCAoA will manage two successive application processes and select two cohorts of ten CCR&R Vroom ambassadors who will strategically embed Vroom into their local family and community outreach services.

It’s National Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Awareness Month, however, most women have never heard of CMV (less than 9 percent).

Child Care Aware^® of America is rolling out a new informative series that illuminates exemplary family and community engagement practices. The Family and Community Engagement: Promising Practices Spotlight Series highlights and celebrates innovative, high-quality family and community engagement programs occurring in a range of early childhood settings. We hope this series will not only introduce you to successful initiatives making an impact in communities across the nation, but that it will inspire you as child care resources and referral staff (CCR&Rs), child care providers and other early childhood leaders as you advance your work with families and communities.

Kicking off the Spotlight Series:  The first spotlight in our series shines on, Apoyando Familias, Aprendiendo Juntos (Supporting Families, Learning Together), a radio show that connects weekly with Spanish-speaking families and caregivers. The program is a product of Wisconsin’s statewide network CCR&R, Supporting Families Together Association. This program demonstrates how organizations can leverage media outreach to create meaningful dialogue with and meet the needs of diverse families with young children and their communities.

WASHINGTON, DC — Dr. Lynette M. Fraga, executive director of Child Care Aware® of America, issued the following statement on changes the House Agriculture Committee has approved for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the current version of the House Farm Bill (H.R. 2):

Vroom, in partnership with Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA), continues to provide strong support and enrichment to the CCR&R community. CCAoA is excited to offer a full Vroom Track at Symposium 2018 this coming April.

The Problem:

Many child care resources are available only in English. They are not accessible to the one in five U.S. families who speak a language other than English in their homes.

One Solution:

The Health Tips for Families Series —a collection of fact sheets for families—is now available in nine languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, Hmong, Burmese, and Amharic. The fact sheets allow providers to share information with families on health topics that are considered priorities by the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW). They also may help states and providers meet CCDF health and safety requirements.