Arlington, VA—Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) proudly leads families, advocates, communities, and child care leaders across the country on May 9, 2025, in the celebration of Provider Appreciation Day to honor the extraordinary dedication of child care providers. These professionals are the backbone of early childhood development—nurturing young children, supporting working families.
Observed annually on the first Friday before Mother’s Day, Provider Appreciation Day is a national moment to recognize the essential work of child care providers who show up every day to deliver high-quality, compassionate care to children. Their commitment is unwavering, even in the face of low wages and challenging demands, and their impact is felt in every corner of the country. In 2024, thanks to the tireless efforts of advocates across our network, more than 40 policymakers in 23 states issued official proclamations honoring the day—elevating public recognition of the critical role providers play in our communities.
Behind and beside these providers stand Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) organizations, consistently working to ensure providers have the tools, training, and support they need to succeed. CCR&Rs help providers grow their skills through professional development, link families to trusted care, and help build the supply of high-quality child care—ensuring that children and families can thrive and helping to build strong, resilient communities.
“Every child has a right to be healthy and safe, and they also deserve to be learning and supported. High-quality child care programs are setting the conditions for that to happen. And behind the programs are always the people—the teachers in the classroom, the people leading the programs,” said Ariel Ford, CCAoA’s Senior Vice President of Program Impact. “We celebrate child care providers and the CCR&Rs who support them—together, they make a stronger system possible.”
Across the country, CCR&Rs help elevate quality and access. According to a recent CCAoA survey, 84% of community-based CCR&Rs shape child care policy and regulation, 70% of state CCR&R networks engage in advocacy, and 62% of community-based organizations provide real-world data to inform decision-making and strengthen local solutions.
Join CCAoA in honoring child care providers this Provider Appreciation Day by sharing your thanks using #ThankYouChildCare on social media. To learn more about the role of CCR&R organizations in supporting providers and families, visit Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Organizations - Child Care Aware® of America.
Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is the only national organization that supports every part of the child care system. Together with an on-the-ground network of people doing the work in states and communities, we help America become child care strong by providing research that drives effective practice and policy, building strong child care programs and professionals, helping families find and afford quality child care, delivering thought leadership to the military and direct service to its families, and providing a real-world understanding of what works and what doesn’t to spur policymakers into action and help them build solutions. Everyone is stronger when we make America child care strong.