May was a busy month for Child Care Aware® of America. We celebrated both mothers and child care providers across the nation as part of Mother’s Day and Provider Appreciation Day. Both serve an important role in not only nurturing but also educating children during crucial developmental stages in their lives.

Below are some additional highlights from May.

Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity for Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies—CCR&Rs as Community Resilience Hubs. This initiative, administered through CCAoA’s emergency preparedness team aims to increase the capabilities of communities working with child care centers and family child care providers in preparing, responding, and recovering from natural disasters and emergencies.

Spring is officially here! The trees are blooming, the days are getting longer, and the weather is beckoning for people to spend all their time outdoors. We were excited to see many of you who visited Washington, D.C. earlier this month for our biennial 2016 Symposium. For those who missed the event, video recordings and presentation materials will be available soon.

This year we celebrate Provider Appreciation Day on May 6 to honor child care providers across the nation for the extraordinary work they do. This special day is intended to recognize all those who nurture, teach, and care for children in multiple settings across the country.

On Friday, April 22, 2016, the USDA announced that it has finalized meal pattern revisions to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This rule updates the meal pattern requirements to better align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which was required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.