It was a few days after my son’s second birthday. The day began, hurried as most and late as usual. I was doing my best to reach the office by 9 a.m.  I hadn’t quite mastered the art of juggling work and parenthood (Do we ever? Perhaps that’s a question for another blog post). But, I remember enjoying our time together after settling into the car for our 20 minute commute to his child care provider. It was our special time, talking and singing to our favorite music on the radio.

In our recent paper, Family Voices: Driving Quality Child Care Choices, we examined the child care needs of families facing vulnerabilities (low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, families with children with special needs, etc.), and how they find the child care that fits their needs. Our infographic below shows many  of the findings at a glance. 

Harper was a typical toddler full of love, laughs and life, when a tragic event happened outside the home of her family child care provider in the summer of 2016. In the video below, Harper’s mother, Whitney, shares her story and what she hopes parents and providers will do to keep children safe. 

Child Care Aware^® of America had the opportunity to sit down with Sosha Chaney, a vocal child care advocate, as she shared her journey. Sosha is especially passionate about improving:

• Access to reliable, education-based child care for families working non-traditional hours
• Affordable, high-quality child care options
• Funding and support for early childhood programs
  

The end of summer is a busy time for families seeking child care. Prepare yourself by watching  this video describing what families and child care resource and referral (CCR&R) professionals, from around the nation, have to say about child care assistance available in your community.