Earlier this week, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation that would extend child care and early child development programs that support millions of families.

Earlier this week, the House and Senate Budget Committees approved their FY 2016 budget resolutions, and both proposed very deep cuts for many non-defense programs over the next ten years, including ones that millions of children and families depend on.

Help Child Care Aware® of America support the movement to declare a National Child and Adult Care Food Programs Week (CACFP) in 2015, to help bring awareness to the USDA’s program for adult and child nutrition!

When an email from the White House came into my inbox, I paid attention!  That’s the situation I found myself in, in mid-January. I was delighted to find that Child Care Aware® of Kansas was being offered two tickets to attend the President’s Remarks at the University of Kansas. It really didn't take me more than two minutes to look at my calendar and send a quick response back to the White House, stating Absolutely! Much to my surprise, on Wednesday (the day before the President’s visit) we were offered another seven tickets!  Of course I said we’d take them. Within a matter of one hour, I called the CCR&Rs in Kansas, two child care center directors and one high school teacher to extend the offer.  All seven people immediately said “YES”!

On February 2, 2015, President Barack Obama released his budget blueprint for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2016.  Following on commitments announced during the recent State of the Union, President Obama’s budget proposal includes new initiatives and funding proposals designed to improve “access to high-quality child care and early education.”

Following up on Tuesday’s State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama today detailed his proposal for making child care a “national economic priority.”