Child care plays a vital role in the early education and care of our nation’s children. This is especially important given that the early years of a child’s life are the most critical for development. We know that children who receive high-quality child care benefit throughout their lives. However, despite the importance of high-quality child care, the child care workforce earns far less than they should, an average of $19,510 a year.

April showers bring May flowers, as well as our Child Care Aware® of America Policy Summit! It was wonderful seeing all of you for our recent board meetings and during this important event, where CCR&Rs, parents, and child care advocates gathered to discuss child care policy-related issues. We have many exciting initiatives to share with you, including our upcoming public policy research.

On May 4, the House of Representatives barely passed H.R. 1628, the "American Health Care Act (AHCA) of 2017," on a party-line vote. H.R. 1628 would replace the "Affordable Care Act of 2010," and if enacted into law, it could result in more than 20 million people losing access to health insurance, as well as millions of children losing access to Medicaid coverage, over the next decade.

Quality Child Care - A Priceless Commodity that Deserves Recognition

Arlington, VA, May 12, 2017 – Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is proud to partner with the National Association of Family Child Care, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Head Start Association, National Indian Child Care Association, Teachstone, and Afterschool Alliance in recognizing child care providers / early educators for National Provider Appreciation Day.

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce awarded Child Care Aware® of America with Arlington’s Best Business Award for the nonprofit category at a special ceremony on May 2. The award celebrates area businesses that deliver exceptional quality of service to their customers, are industry leaders, or offer a unique approach to delivery of goods and services.

“Child Care Aware® of America is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and is a proud member of the Arlington business community,” said Steve Smith, Chief Operating Officer at CCAoA. “We look forward to continued engagement with the Arlington business community and working together to build a successful workforce for tomorrow.”

We were excited to have more than 300 attendees join us for this year’s Child Care Aware® of America Policy Summit on April 23-25 in Washington, D.C. Child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies and early child care professionals from various disciplines and settings joined us from across the nation to address policy, practice, and the future of the early childhood field. Attendees engaged in insightful sessions, profited from key takeaways, networked, and (most importantly) made their voices heard during our special Day on the Hill event, where child care advocates and allies had an opportunity to meet with their Congressional representatives and put child care initiatives at the forefront of the political conversation.