Every week in the United States, nearly 11 million children younger than age five are in some type of child care arrangement, many of whom spend 30 hours or more per week in out of home care.  Over 100,000 of Kansas children are served through Kansas early care programs. Early care and education settings are a critical extension of the family home with continuity between the two being of prime importance.

In September we celebrated National Preparedness Month, and with it the beginning of hurricane season. Our emergency preparedness team has been hard at work, connecting with parents and child care providers and proving support, tools, and resources to those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Child Care Aware® of America is also finalizing plans around our thought-leadership event of the year, 2017 Leadership Institute. We look forward to seeing you October 11-13 in Kansas City, Missouri! We are also pleased to announce that registration in now open for 2018 Symposium, our flagship event that addresses the hottest topics in research, policy, and practice in the early child care and education community. Join us for this and our exciting 30^th anniversary gala!

Where are child care programs located? How many children attend child care programs? Where can I find child care after 8 p.m.?

Answering these questions is important as parents attempt to navigate the when, where, how and who of securing quality, affordable child care. Additionally, these questions become important after a disaster, particularly as communities attempt to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

Spotlight:

Margo Sipes, Executive Director, Downtown Baltimore Child Care, Inc.

Vroom materials have been a wonderful resource to integrate into our existing programs. When parents call requesting a child care search, we engage in conversation about child development and reaffirm to each parent the special role they play as being their child’s first and most important teacher.

It hardly seems possible that we are in the midst of transitioning from preschool to kindergarten with our oldest child. How did that curious little infant we had five years ago move so quickly through toddlerhood and preschool?