More than 4,400 actions taken to celebrate child care providers across the country on May 10
ARLINGTON, VA, May 10, 2024 – Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) today celebrates Provider Appreciation Day® alongside states and communities across the country. More than 4,400 actions have been taken by CCAoA members and partners through our online action center to declare May 10 as Provider Appreciation Day. The observance acknowledges the essential role child care providers, teachers and other educators of young children play in supporting young children's social, emotional and physical well-being.
Provider Appreciation Day arrives after recent increases in state and federal funding for child care. This includes an $8.7 billion allocation to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) this fiscal year -- a $725 million increase from the previous year. These increases underscore the bipartisan acknowledgment of the essential services child care providers offer and the urgent need to support them with better policies and increased funding to support thriving child care businesses and a stable workforce.
CCAoA celebrates the hard work of child care providers. We are committed to supporting early care and education providers by ensuring a strong network of state and community child care resource organizations that partner with and support them in the critical work they do every day.
“Child care providers are the workforce behind our workforce. They keep business running and keep our children safe, nurturing their curiosity and preparing them for a lifetime of learning and growth,” said Susan Gale Perry, CEO of Child Care Aware® of America. “Alongside our network of child care resource organizations, we thank and celebrate child care providers across the nation.”
Learn how you can support providers in your community at providerappreciation.org.
Provider Appreciation Day was started in 1996 by a group of volunteers in New Jersey, who saw the need to recognize the tireless efforts of providers who care for children of working parents. Provider Appreciation Day is observed annually on the Friday before Mother’s Day. Support for this awareness day has grown each year and recognition presently includes Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, child care advocates, community-based organizations, government entities, business leaders, families, and individuals throughout the United States, proudly convened by Child Care Aware of America.
Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is the country’s leading voice for child care, championing equitable access to affordable, high-quality care.
CCAoA works with partners at the local, state and federal levels, including the United States Military and the Department of Defense, to make child care programs, policies and funding work better for children, families, child care providers and communities.
CCAoA works in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to build the supply of healthy, nurturing and stable child care that helps families get to work, supports children’s development and learning and keeps our economy growing. CCAoA also delivers innovative, results-based services for families and child care providers; produces research; engages with the media, public and policymakers; and advances policies and mobilizes action that promotes understanding of and increased investment in a high-quality child care system. To learn more, visit our website. Follow CCAoA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
