Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) will lead Provider Appreciation Day® on May 7 to recognize and celebrate the efforts of child care providers across the country in what has been a year of tremendous challenge for child care.
“Child care providers were ‘essential’ long before the pandemic, and the past year has highlighted the lengths to which they are willing to go to keep their doors open, keep children safe and nurtured, support and engage families, and play a critical role in communities,” said Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D., CEO of Child Care Aware® of America. “Provider Appreciation Day® is a great opportunity to recognize the heroic efforts of providers and to say ‘thank you.’”
Child care providers offered resources and supports to families during an often traumatic time -- a global pandemic and an economic crisis in addition to a national reckoning on race. They provided families with safe, healthy, nurturing spaces where children can feel safe, eat healthy meals, grow and learn. Additionally, providers often stepped in to support children in remote learning situations, doing all they could to provide space and supports for school-aged children.
CCAoA works with more than 450 state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies that serve as community resources for providers and families.
Provider Appreciation Day® is celebrated each year on the Friday before Mother’s Day and was started in 1996 by a group of volunteers in New Jersey who wanted to recognize the tireless efforts of providers who care for children of working parents. Support for this event has grown each year and it is now recognized by individuals and local governments throughout the U.S.
The Provider Appreciation Day® website, https://providerappreciation.org, includes:
- Ideas for celebration
- Resources, including a sample letter to request a proclamation from local government officials, and templates to create certificates or thank you cards for providers
- Video tool for parents and community members to thank their local child care provider
