"Children Learning, Parents Earning, Communities Growing"
Issue #23                                          June 10, 2019
Please join us is CONGRATULATING a truly amazing, dedicated and compassionate champion for all of our children -- Sarah Neville-Morgan.

 
State Superintendent Thurmond Appoints Sarah Neville-Morgan as California Department of Education Deputy Superintendent 

SACRAMENTO-State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that he has appointed Sarah Neville-Morgan as Deputy Superintendent for the Teaching and Learning Support Branch at the California Department of Education (CDE).

Neville-Morgan is the former Director of the CDE Early Learning and Care Division. In that role she provided leadership and support to the early learning community, providers, and contractors statewide.

"Sarah is an advocate and champion for learners of all ages throughout the state," said Thurmond. "Her background and collaboration with partners in the field of early learning and care is unparalleled, and she brings those skills to her new position. Under Sarah's leadership and strategic focus, her branch will continue the work that ensures students from birth to age twenty-two have access to a quality and equitable public education."

Neville-Morgan started her career at CDE as a Child Development Consultant in 2011. In 2013 she left to become the Deputy Director of Program Management at First 5 California. There, she managed a team and funding focused on closing the achievement gap and supporting quality early learning. Neville-Morgan also worked as the Deputy Executive Director of the Governor's Early Learning Advisory Council during the Schwarzenegger and Brown administrations and as an Academic Child Development Specialist at the University of California, Davis Center for Child and Family Studies. She also has worked in a child care resource and referral agency, with foster care education programs, and has supported school teen parent programs. She returned to the CDE in 2017 to lead the Early Learning and Care Division.

As the Deputy Superintendent for the Teaching and Learning Support Branch, Neville-Morgan will oversee a branch that is responsible for helping all students-from early learners to adults-reach their academic potential and goals by providing the necessary support to early educators and providers, teachers, administrators, school and district leaders, and community-based organizations. She will continue the work of the Teaching and Learning Support Branch to ensure that inclusion practices are established during classroom hours, before and after school, and in early learning and care programs, and that the programs and instructional resources and supports reflect diversity, accessibility, and equity.
Neville-Morgan earned a B.A. in Psychology at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and a M.S. in Child Development at the University of California, Davis.

Neville-Morgan replaces former Deputy Superintendent Tom Adams. She started in her new role on May 31.
Quick Links
June 2019 Featured Agency


Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County (4Cs Sonoma)  is celebrating its 47th Anniversary this year. Founded as a Community Based Organization in 1972 by child care advocates and providers, 4Cs offers a variety of services to children, families, providers, and community partners in Sonoma County.
4Cs administers multiple subsidized early care and education contracts including CAPP, CalWORKS Stage 2 & 3 and our local Workforce Investment Opportunity Act Child Care program. We currently serve 1238 children in our Alternative Payment Program. Additionally, 4Cs Sonoma operates 12 California State Preschool Program sites once which includes a CCTR toddler component. These programs serve over 544 children. 4Cs has a very robust Resource and Referral Department, which includes Quality Counts coaching, Parent Voices and a Parent Leadership Academy, Health and Safety, Bridge Program and a very popular CCIP program that just trained 22 prospective providers and has 19 on a waiting list for the next training round! 4Cs also administers the CACFP program for family child care homes in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties, as well as the food program for the 12 state preschools that we run.
Click Here to learn more.

** A special thank you to Lara Magnusdottir, Public Policy Director, for the submission!**

If you would like your agency to be featured, please email us!
CAPPA Member Shout-Outs





Sunshine Day 2019:
On April 13th, Central Valley Children's Services Network held their 40th Annual Sunshine Day, which is a free family event and resource fair at Roeding Park in Fresno.
Sunshine Day is part of the nationally recognized Week of the Young Child celebration. This year, the Week of the Young Child's theme is 'Celebrating our Youngest Learners.' WOYC is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The purpose of WOYC is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.
As a way to conclude the week-long celebration, Children's Services Network offers Sunshine Day as a FREE family and child-friendly event!
There was Live Entertainment, Wild Child Adventures Bubble Play, Reptile Ron's Animal Presentations, Hands-on activities, Face painting and Information Booths!

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Do you have success news to share with us?! We love to hear what our members are up to and where they're going! Submit your accomplishment(s) big OR small by emailing us!

CAPPA's
2018-19 Board of Directors
President
Rick Richardson
Child Development Associates

Vice President

Karen Marlatt
Valley Oak Children's Services

Treasurer

Beth Chiaro
Child Care Resource Center 

Secretary
LaVera Smith
Supportive Services Fresno

Past President
Martin Castro
Mexican American Opportunity Foundation

Public Policy Co-Chair
Jeffrey Moreira
Crystal Stairs, Inc.

Public Policy Co-Chair
Phillip Warner
Children's Council San Francisco 

Members-at-Large
Tina Barna
Choices for Children

Abby Shull
YMCA Childcare Resource Service 
 
Leslie Reece
Family Resource & Referral of San Joaquin County

Jeanne Fridolfs
Napa County Office of Education

Mike Michelon
Siskiyou Child Care Council

Marco Jimenez
Central Valley Children's Services Network

Jasmine Tijerino
San Mateo 4Cs

Michelle Graham
Children's Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County

Joie Owen
Glenn County Office of Education

Denyne Micheletti Colburn
CAPPA CEO
ELCD/CDE, DSS & CCLD Updates
May 14, 2019
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Services and Adjustment  Factors
April 3, 2019
The ELCD will host a webinar on Thursday, March 14, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to provide technical assistance with the CDMIS.
January 28, 2019
January 4, 2018
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has amended regulations pertaining to CalWORKs, within the Eligibility and Assistance Standards Manual.  The changes are detailed in  CDSS Manual Letter No. EAS-18-05

Announcements
CAPPA Member Benefits now available on the Members Only website:
NEW!  

Just added to the Member's only website are webinars on 
 Adults and Trauma and an AP 101 webinar on 
Enrolling Clients into the CalWORKs Program.

Visit the  CAPPA Member's Only website  for more information on this webinar series and other benefits available to CAPPA Members.  
 
Job Openings

Is Your Organization Hiring?
Post your job announcement here for thousands to see!
There is no charge for CAPPA members.
Non-members will be charged a fee of $75.
Please email us your posting!

Chief Financial Officer
Child Action, Inc. Sacramento

Public Policy Officer

Child Action, Inc. Sacramento

Manager Early Childhood Special Education
Napa County Office of Education
Crystal Stairs, Inc

Solano Family & Children's Services

 -Center Director
-Associate Director- Early Childhood Education
University of California, Berkeley

International Institute of Los Angeles

Marin Child Care Council

Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, Inc.


Pomona Unified School District- Child Development 
Child Care Coordinating Council, Inc. of San Mateo County 
 
Field Happenings
The CAPPA Board has made it a priority to support our field with a coordinated calendar to note upcoming statewide conferences, federal conferences of relevance, CDE and DSS stakeholder meetings and legislative and budget deadlines and hearings.
NOTE: If you would like to share your newsletter or items of interest with our field via the Monday morning e-Newsletter, then please  email us  a link.  Please make sure that you have a link included to an online version or viewing.
Become a Monday
Morning 
Update
Partner! 





Our Monday Morning Update supports our Early Learning & Child Care field with timely information about what is going on in California and nationally; as well as dates to be aware and upcoming events. 

Our weekly (50 times per year) Monday morning distribution is to more than 4,000 federal and state local agencies, resource and referrals, contractors, legislators and their staffs', centers, parents, providers, state departments and advocates.  

To help support the continuation of this resource and or advertise in the Monday Morning Update, click 
HERE. 

You can also make a donation to CAPPA and CAPPA Children's Foundation 
The Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization (501(c)3), Taxpayer Identification Number is 
03-0521444. Your generous donation is tax deductible.
May Revise Released

The Budget Conference Committee has wrapped up.   Click here to read their respective actions.

Here are the conference actions taken:
  • Child Care Access - Conference Compromise: Approve $80.5 million in ongoing Proposition 64 funding for Alternative Payment slots starting July 1, 2019. Approve $50 million in one-time General Fund for ongoing General Child Care slots (slots to be funded in future years with growth in Proposition 64 funds)
  •   Preschool Slots and Eligibility - Approve language changes to prioritize working families for full-time slots and expand eligibility to all families in the school attendance area where 80 percent or more students qualify for free or reduced price meals.
  • Child Care and Preschool Rates - Conference Compromise: Approve the application of the rate adjustment for children with exceptional needs to part-day state preschool rates
  • Child Care and Early Education One-Time Facilities Investment - Conference Compromise: Adopt placeholder trailer bill language to: Transfer approximately $18 million in non Proposition 98 funding from the Child Care Facilities Revolving Loan Fund for purposes of this program. Transfer $10 million in Proposition 98 funding from the Child Care Facilities Revolving Loan Fund to the Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program. Allow the Department of Education to use up to five percent of grant funding to contract for technical assistance. Provide up to five percent to support renovation, repair, modernization, or retrofitting to address health and safety or other licensure needs. Other technical changes.
  • Child Care and Early Education One-Time Workforce Investment - Conference Compromise: Approve $195 million in one-time General Fund for the Child Care Early Learning and Care Workforce Development Grant. Adopt placeholder trailer bill language to: Expand trainings and support activities to a broad range of providers, Ensure stipends and professional development provided align with the Quality Counts California professional development system, Other technical changes.
  • Child Care and Early Education Other Investments - Conference Compromise: Approve $10 million for various departments, including the Department of Education, the Department of Social Services, and the Public Employment Relations Board for data collection and implementation of child care organizing. Approve $10 million to begin a statewide data system for early education. Approve $2.2 million annually for three years to establish the Early Childhood Policy Council. Approve $1 million in ongoing General Fund Support for the Department of Education's Early Learning and Care Division.
  • CalWORKs Stage One Child Care Investments - Conference Compromise: Approve CalWORKs Stage One twelve month eligibility (SB 321) and $60.6 million General Fund in 2019-20 ($74.2 million ongoing).
  • Other Child Care Investments - Conference Compromise: Provide $10 million General Fund annually for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program, suspended December 31, 2021. Adopt trailer bill language to delay implementation of the requirement for Alternative Payment programs to provide 14 day notice to child care providers until July 1, 2020.
  • Early Learning and Care Master Plan - Conference Compromise: Approve $5 million in one-time General Fund for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in concurrence with the executive director of the State Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to contract for research on specified areas of the child care and early education system to be completed no later than October 1, 2020.
  • Kindergarten and Preschool Facilities -  Conference Compromise: Approve $300 million in one-time General Fund for Full-Day Kindergarten, Set state share of facility grants at 75 percent, Eliminate the impact of receipt of grant funding on eligibility in the School Facility Program.
  • Increased Inspections of Child Care Centers - Conference Compromise: Adopt placeholder trailer bill language stating the Legislature's intent that inspections occur annually.
Click here to read all of the issue specific proposals to be considered in the 2019-20 budget.   Click here to see a Spreadsheet of outcomes and proposals that will be taken up in the Conference Committee along with close-out documents from the Assembly Subcommittee 2 on Education Finance and Senate Subcommittee 1 on Education.  


Click here to read Trailer Bill Language (TBL) for some of the May Revision proposals.    
Click here to view a field calendar that will include legislative and bill hearing dates.  

Click here to see the homepage for the 2019 Conference Committee on the Budget - AB 74

CAPPA will host all meetings and materials on its Budget Home Page.
What's Happening
California 

Legislative -  Upcoming Legislative Hearings ( click here to be directed to CalChannel ): 

Wednesday, June 12, 2019:
  • SEN Education (Leyva, Chair) 9:00am - Room 4203
    • AB 809 (Santiago) Public postsecondary education: child development programs: priority enrollment: Title IX protection: pregnancy and parental status 
Tuesday, June 18, 2019:
  • ASM Human Services (Reyes, Chair) 1:30pm - Room 437
Wednesday, June 19, 2019:
  • SEN Education (Leyva, Chair) 9:00am - Room 4203
    • AB 6 (Reyes) Early childhood education: Early Childhood Education Branch
    • AB 123 (McCarty) Early childhood education: state preschool program: access: standards
    • AB 324 (Aguiar-Curry) Childcare services: state subsidized childcare: professional support stipends
    • AB 452 (Mullin) Childcare: facilities: grants
    • AB 842 (Limon) Child nutrition: school, childcare, transitional kindergarten, and preschool meals.
Monday, June 24, 2019:
Wednesday, June 26, 2019:
  • SEN Education (Leyva, Chair) 9:00am - Room 4203
Tuesday, July 2, 2019:
  • ASM Human Services (Reyes, Chair) 1:30pm - Room 437

Click here  to see all of the legislation identified of interest to our field. Below are a couple of highlights of the results from the recent Appropriations committees:

Assembly
Senate
Click here to see calendar of field events/interests and legislative hearings and deadlines.  If you would like something added to the field calendar, click here and submit details.
PROFILED BILL OF THE WEEK
AB 809 ~ Assemblymember Miguel Santiago 
Title IX Protections for Pregnant and Parenting College Student - this bill would require that public postsecondary institutions notify pregnant and parenting students of their rights under Title IX by posting these rights on the internet and to be provided in student health centers. This bill will help Ensuring that that current and soon-to-be student parents have easy access to knowing and navigating their rights


This bill is being heard on June 18 in SEN Education.


Click here  to see legislation.
Click here  to download background sheet.


CDE Updates

Contingency Funds Application Process
 
Dear Alternative Payment Program Contractors:
 
The purpose of this letter is to provide Alternative Payment Program (CAPP) contractors with information regarding the process to apply for contingency funds.
 
Pursuant to Education Code Section 8222.1, per the Budget Act of 2018, the California Department of Education (CDE) shall reallocate funds as necessary to reimburse CAPPs for actual and allowable costs incurred for additional services. A CAPP contractor may apply for reimbursement of up to three (3) percent of their contract amount, or for a greater amount subject to the discretion of the Department, based on availability of funds. Applications may be submitted as early as May 1, 2019, but no later than September 30, 2019. The CDE will approve or deny applications submitted pursuant to this section, but will not consider applications received after September 30, 2019, of the current calendar year for additional costs incurred during the 2018-19 fiscal year.
 
The CDE will distribute reimbursement funds for each approved application within 90 days of receipt of the application if it was filed between May 1 and July 20 inclusive of the current calendar year. Applications received after July 20 are not subject to the 90-day requirement for the distribution of funds. If requests for reimbursement pursuant to this section exceed available funds, CDE will assign priority for reimbursement according to the order in which it receives the applications.
 
Funds received by a CAPP contractor pursuant to this section that are not substantiated by the program's annual audit must be returned to CDE and are not subject to the appeal process.
 
The Contingency Fund Application, form CDNFS 1571, is now available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/documents/cdnfs15711819.pdf. Please note, this form cannot be submitted electronically, and must be received by the CDE no later than September 30, 2019.
 
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact me at 916-324-6611, or email JClegg@cde.ca.gov.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jordan Clegg, Staff Services Manager I
Child Development & Nutrition Fiscal Services
Fiscal and Administrative Services Division

SAVE THE DATE- Early Learning and Care Division  
 
This notice informs ELCD contractors of key SAVE THE DATE Request for Applications (RFA) events for the following RFAs:
  1. The California State Preschool Program (CSPP) Expansion RFA will announce score notifications to applicants by mid-March 2019, and send out Proposed Award Letters in mid-May 2019. The program start date will be June 28, 2019. Please note this date has changed from previous years' start dates.
  1. The General Child Care and Development (CCTR) RFA will announce score notifications to applicants by mid-March 2019, and send out Proposes Award Letters in mid-May 2019. The program start date will be June 28, 2019. Please note this date has changed from previous years' start dates.
  • For all other questions regarding the CSPP RFA, please send an email to CSPPRFA@cde.ca.gov.
  • For all other questions regarding the CCTR RFA, please send an email to CCTRRFA@cde.ca.gov.
Upcoming CAPPA Events

Regional Technical Assistance Trainings - Summer 2019
June 26, 2019 Oxnard
Child Development Resources
211 E. Ventura Blvd
Oxnard, CA 93036
Conference Rooms  A and B
July 15, 2019 Modesto
Stanislaus County Office of Education- Child & Family Services
1325 H Street
Modesto, CA 95354
July 19, 2019 
Gilroy

Go Kids, Inc.
9015 Murray Ave. Suite 110 
Gilroy, CA 95020
July 30, 2019
Grass Valley

Sierra Nevada Children's Services
420 Sierra College Drive, Suite 100
Grass Valley, CA  95945
CAPPA member agencies, with the support of CAPPA & Children's Foundation, are putting together a series of Technical Assistance (TA) trainings that will be  coming to a region near you!   This series will be delivered in a format that is very participatory.   We encourage all participating to come with questions, as well  as samples for each of the topics that will be discussed. 

Topics to include:
Best Practices Session (10:00am-11:45am):
  • Just added! Ongoing Review for Input on Draft GAU Review Guides and pending 12-month Regulations, which are both anticipated to go into effect in October/November. 
  • Just Added! Ideas for Procurement process overhaul.  This will be a Q&A and open discussion format.
  • Just Added! 12-Month Eligibility in Stage 1.  This will be a Q&A and open discussion format.
  • How to implement the two-week written notice regulation (AB 603)-Update will also be provided on the CAPPA concerns that are included in the budget conversations.
  • Management Bulletins Discussion- We will review those Management Bulletins that you continue to have questions on, including 18-09 & 18-09(a) Electronic Banking & Direct Deposits
  • Transfers- This will be a Q&A and open discussion format; Inter-county transfers and clarification on stage 2 transfers to be included

 

Lunch (11:45am-12:15pm)

CAPPA Budget and Legislative Discussion and Updates 
(12:15pm-1:00pm)
  •  AB 378- Child Care Provider Union Bill
  • Variable Work Schedule- is a remedy in site?
Peer-to-Peer Networking Session (1:00pm-2:00pm):
This portion of the agenda will allow attendees to share their successful strategies, tools and ideas.

**If there are topics that you would be interested in adding to the agenda, please let us know!**


Network and CAPPA Joint Annual Conference 2019
October 2-4, 2019
DoubleTree Hotel Sacramento
Sacramento, CA

The California Child Care Resource & Referral Network and the California Alternative Payment Program Association look forward to hosting our 7th Joint Conference together this fall. 

Agency Pre-Pay Option:
We are offering an Agency pre-payment option and it is being provided for agencies that would like to pay their 2019 Conference Registration Fees in advance.  The preliminary program and final conference registration form, including the ability to list all conferees individually and to select workshops, will be released later in July.
We are hard at work creating a conference program that includes a variety of workshops to meet the needs of staff working with parents; staff providing training and technical assistance to child care providers; staff administering AP programs, program staff-supervisors; managers and directors.
Please click:   http://www.rsvpbook.com/prepayjointAC19  for general information about the conference and if your agency would like to pre-pay for the 2019 Joint Network/CAPPA Conference.  Pre-payment for The Joint Annual Conference is Due by Friday, June 28th.

Partnership Information: 
Exhibitor and Sponsor Information is now available!
                          Visit the Conference Web page   for more information.
Partner Updates

Are you working in a child care center or family day care home as a teacher, director, or administrator? If so, we want to hear from you!

As part of the work related to the Preschool Development Grant, the California Department of Education has asked the BUILD Initiative to provide observations, insights and recommendations on steps that could be taken to ensure that California's quality system infrastructure is as effective and efficient as possible. BUILD's specific focus is on local, regional, and state roles, responsibilities, and system organization.
We hope you will take a few minutes to complete this confidential survey to help us understand your perspective. We will compile all the responses to share with the California Department of Education.

It is critical to hear how the California quality system is working for the early childhood workforce. Please share this survey with people you know who are working in centers and homes, including program directors and administrators and those working directly with children and families.

The survey is available for completion until Friday, June 28, 2019,  and is available in English and in Spanish:



We value your ideas. Your voice is important. If you have any questions regarding accessing the survey, please contact Gretchen Ames at  games@buildinititative.org .
Thank you!
 
PDG Team

If you have a school-aged student in need of breakfast and lunch this summer, simply text "FOOD" to 877877 and receive a message back with a location closest to  where they can get free summer meals.

Please copy, paste, and post!

Even if you aren't in need, someone's kids are. No child deserves to go hungry, ever.
This is a nationwide program so please repost for all of the children who are struggling to get enough food.

(The children do not need to be enrolled in Summer School to receive a free breakfast &/or lunch and locations can vary from libraries, churches, youth programs, etc.)
Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five First Quarter Update

The CDE is now in the second quarter of implementing the federal Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five Initiative (PDG). Launching the federal grant has taken some time given its scope, but several key activities are now underway. Further information and resources, including an enhanced California PDG website at https://capdg.wested.org/, are anticipated in the coming weeks.
 
The PDG Core Team and State Stewardship Team (SST) have been established to ensure engagement from key state offices and agencies serving young children and their families, and the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (SAC) and the public has been engaged in initial planning. Attached you will find the PDG organizational chart for further information. Additional opportunities for stakeholder engagement are also forthcoming.

Recent Activities and Progress
 
On May 6, 2019 the SAC took part in an extensive work session to provide feedback on the development of the PDG Strategic Plan and Needs Assessment. The PDG Strategic Plan is intended to align with the PDG Needs Assessment and will build on previous state plans and recommendations to reflect current ELC priorities and systems building efforts, including the recently released report by the Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education. Both the PDG Strategic Plan and Needs Assessment will be submitted for federal review by late August 2019.
 
During the strategic planning segment of the SAC meeting, WestEd presented an initial framework for organizing key ELC topic areas and existing recommendations from previous state planning efforts into goals, objectives, metrics, strategies and actions where they existed. During an interactive exercise, 90+ meeting participants and SAC members had the opportunity to react to these topic areas and pose critical questions to further understanding of core objectives and how they might be operationalized and implemented.

Upcoming Activities
 
The CDE anticipates several activities to move forward before the end the second quarter of the PDG and 2018-2019 fiscal year, including:
  1. PDG Needs Assessment
    • Finalize data compilation, conduct provider and LPC surveys, conduct qualitative interviews to inform needs assessment
  2. PDG Strategic Plan
    • Launch expert and stakeholder process, draft initial outputs for feedback from Core Team and SST

  3. Additional PDG Activities
    • Contracts finalized with partners and core projects started, including establishing the PC to advise the SAC and the SSPI Transition Team on Early Learning and Care
    • Informational resources released and the PDG website enhanced to inform the public, garner feedback and archive progress
For questions regarding this subject, please contact the PDG team at CAPDG@cde.ca.gov.

*this has been shortened for brevity; please find full update here.
Federal
5 Facts To Know About Child Care in Rural America

Families across the nation are facing barriers to finding and paying for quality child care. The unique experiences of rural families can exacerbate this struggle: Many rural areas of the country have experienced stalled economic growth , have higher rates of   child poverty, and see young children entering kindergarten already   behind their metropolitan-area peers in early reading and math skills. Access to high-quality, affordable child care is especially necessary to support family economic security and early childhood development in rural communities.

This column presents five key facts to know about child care in rural America and outlines opportunities for improving access to quality, affordable child care in rural communities.
  1. On average, families in rural areas spend 12 percent of their income on child care
  2. Rural families use regular child care at rates similar to metropolitan families but are more likely to use home-based child care
  3. 60 percent of rural Americans live in a child care desert
  4. Family child care providers play an outsize role in rural child care supply
  5. A typical teacher in a rural child care center earns just $23,000 per year

Public investments in child care are necessary to support children, families, and providers in rural communities

While rural communities experience unique challenges to building and maintaining their supply of quality, affordable child care, they also offer unique opportunities to serve children and families. Several policies could be bolstered or enacted to increase access to quality child care for rural families in the United States. Increasing funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, for example, would provide child care assistance to more rural families, and increase the subsidy rate so that rural child care providers could more easily meet their operating expenses and increase the quality of their programs. And passing the Child Care for Working Families Act would limit most working families' child care payments to 7 percent of their income and make targeted investments in building the supply of licensed child care in child care deserts. Access to high-quality, affordable child care must also be central to any plan to build infrastructure in rural communities: Increasing child care supply and revitalizing child care facilities are vital to supporting not only rural communities but also the national economy.

*this was shortened for purpose of brevity, please see full article by clicking the link below

Link to article.
Invest in California's Children by Investing in 
Early Childhood Educators
Every day, in classrooms and home-based settings, California's early childhood educators are building the academic and social-emotional foundation of the state's youngest learners. With sufficient knowledge, skill, and experience, they are able to draw out each child's potential and help set children on a path to good health, academic success, and economic security later in life. That's the ideal, at least. In practice, however, California has undervalued and underinvested in its early childhood workforce, creating hardships for educators and undermining the many benefits of high-quality early care and education (ECE).

Nearly 60% of California's ECE educators are on public assistance. A 2016 study of ECE teaching staff in Alameda County is illustrative of the economic challenges facing ECE educators throughout the state. The study found that 75% of those surveyed worried about having enough money to pay the bills, 70% worried about housing or health care costs, and 54% worried about being able to feed their family each month. Not surprisingly, given these economic hardships, an average of one in four ECE educators in California leave the profession each year. These conditions are untenable for educators, and the stress and lack of stability have a negative impact on children's learning environments and achievement.

Link to full article.

Since 2015, Child Care Aware®  of America's Health Policy Team has partnered  with  teams in  12  states to explore a broader definition of health in child care through our  " Healthy Child Care, Healthy Communities "   technical assistance project. Along with our state partners, we conducted research, communications and advocacy projects covering diverse health topics from nutrition and active play to injury prevention and inclusion.  Child Care Resource  and  Referral agencies  (CCR&Rs)  played a pivotal role on nearly every state by connecting us to data, convening partners and lifting up provider and community voices to inform our understanding of healthy child care.  

We developed numerous tools, resources and reports to help our partners advance healthy child care in their states.  One resource we put together explores   Health and Wellness Recognition Programs , which identify and acknowledge child care programs, communities or organizations that go above and beyond minimum requirements to follow best practices for nutrition, physical activity or breastfeeding. In addition to an interactive map explaining the recognition programs in each state, we also developed an  infographic  with tips to help providers follow best practices in their child care programs.  

Visit our resource pages from  " Healthy Child Care, Healthy Communities "   Round One  and  Round Two  to learn more about the Health Policy Team's innovative technical assistance work.  

Link to article.
Of Interest