WASHINGTON, DC — Child Care Aware® of America endorses a recent report calling for an increased federal role in financing, quality assessment and professional development in early childhood education.

The report, “Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education,” released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on Feb. 22, calls for making the complex and fragmented early childhood field into a unified, well-compensated, educated and accountable profession.

As Albert Einstein said, "Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." In that spirit, Child Care Aware® of America has found an ideal partner in Jackie and Mike Bezos, whose efforts to invest in science and create evidence-based learning opportunities are transforming the field of early learning. To honor their service, CCAoA is pleased to announce that on April 20 we will be awarding Jackie and Mike Bezos with the Children's Champion Award in philanthropy at our 30th Anniversary Gala in Washington, D.C.

Funding will power development of “Child Care Data Center” to streamline access, affordability and quality for families and providers through clear data

WASHINGTON, DC — Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA), with support from a grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), will develop and test a web portal to drive improvements in the supply, quality, and affordability of child care. The “Child Care Data Center” will allow advocates and policy makers to identify critical needs and inequities in child care access, quality and affordability. The initial investment continues an ongoing partnership with RWJF to provide quality data for the child care field to rely upon internally and between states.

Many families struggle to find child care that meets their needs and high-quality programs are difficult to find and typically have long waiting lists. We believe that no child or family should have to choose between affordability and quality. So we continue our work in convening thought-leaders, advocating on Capitol Hill, and keeping our communities abreast of the issues and solutions. We are proud of the efforts of our family advocates, staff, child care providers and the entire child care community!

Join us in the nation’s capital for CCAoA’s 2018 Symposium and Annual Meeting. It is being held at the renowned Marriott Marquis—one great reason to attend. And while we believe that there are countless other reasons why you should participate, we’ve narrowed it to the “Seven Best”: