Arlington, Va. – Child Care Aware® of Minnesota was recently awarded the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies as Resilience Hubs grant. Grant funding from Child Care Aware® of America will support a new project designed to strengthen emergency preparedness efforts for children, parents, and child care providers, and to enhance coordination with first responder and disaster response organizations.

It is hard to believe that September is ending and we are already moving into October. And with that comes shorter days, cooler weather, and perhaps the most important thing—the final stretch in the presidential campaigns. The cost of child care has become a major issue for the 2016 elections, and we are excited to see both candidates addressing the importance of child care both during the debates and as part of their individual child care proposals. This is especially important as we continue to elevate these issues through our Child Care Works movement, designed to improve child care by shifting public opinion, generating policy solutions, and securing legislative victories. We invite you to join us and millions of others as we work together toward policy victories that will make quality, affordable child care a reality for all. Visit childcareworks.org to learn more about this exciting movement and how you can get involved.

Below are some additional highlights from September.

This week, Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D., Executive Director, Child Care Aware® of America, and other leading experts in the child care space were on the Diane Rehm Show on NPR (88.5 FM) to discuss the issues surround child care in our country.

Child care has become a major issue in the presidential election. Our recently released Child Care in America: 2016 State Fact Sheets provide community leaders and policymakers with important data regarding the state of quality child care and early learning in their respective states, revealing just how big the challenges are that await the next president.

We were excited to hear child care mentioned in the first 10 minutes of the first Presidential debate. It makes sense - 90% of Americans want the next president to expand access to child care and early learning opportunities. It's a critical issue that candidates across the aisle can agree on.

On Wednesday, September 28, leaders in the child care space will discuss the state of the caregiving landscape and how to support families and value care. Child Care Aware® of America is pleased to partner with New America’s Better Life Lab, Care.com, and AT Kearney to launch The Care Index and New America Care Report.

Arlington, VA – The importance of high-quality, affordable child care continues to remain a high priority issue for Presidential candidates this election year. To date, both candidates have submitted child care proposals that could impact parents, including paid maternity or family leave and tax credits for families. Child Care Aware^® of America is closely following the candidates’ proposals and is focused on ensuring that this issue remain a national priority for the next administration.