Most people will spend about a third of their lives at work. With that much time dedicated to a particular place and group of people, a work environment that is positive, motivated, fun and inspires employees to take joy in their work can yield huge benefits and overall success for both employees and the business. 

Update: With news that the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is now law, Child Care Aware of America is republishing this resource to support states as they consider spending child care relief funds. ARPA provides $39 billion in child care relief, of which $15 billion in additional funding is made available through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). These funds can be distributed like the December relief funds ($10 billion) and the CARES Act relief funds ($3.5 billion), including towards the proposed policies detailed in this resource. The remaining $24 billion under ARPA will be made available through a separate child care stabilization fund. 

Child Care Aware^® of America (CCAoA) recently joined over 300 local, state and national organizations in support of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021.

The Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would:

• Incrementally raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 and
• After 2025, adjust the minimum wage each year to keep with growth in the median wage.

Too often, decisions are made by a limited set of people in power. And far too often, those decisions fail to include and consider the people who are most affected by those decisions.  

We’re living in a moment that demands bold leadership. And it requires that we embrace the strengths and opportunities of diverse voices to solve today's problems.

That's why I am launching a limited podcast series this year. It’s called A Seat at the Table: Conversations on Leadership, Equity and Innovation. 

On Wednesday, comedian and host of The Daily Show Trevor Noah devoted a portion of his nightly show to talk about – child care. He spent 10 minutes exploring the many flaws of our current child care system. But his most pointed criticism was aimed at the way child care in the U.S. is funded.

The 2020 election cycle set a record for voter turnout. Preliminary estimates show that more Americans— about two-thirds of eligible voters— voted in 2020 than in any other election in U.S. history. And in every single community, child care was on the ballot in the positions of the officials elected. In addition, in some communities child care, early learning or support for children and families were directly on the ballot, and in many of these cases, there was robust support.