Month: January 2020

January 15, 2020

Child Care Aware of Washington Wins Grant to Help Count All Children in the 2020 Census

Very young children have previously been among the most under-counted groups in the United States census. With billions of federal dollars dependent upon population, it is important to count everyone, including every infant and child.

Thanks to the Washington Census Equity Fund, our state’s nonprofit community is stepping up to help ensure the accuracy of the 2020 Census. Child Care Aware of Washington recently won a grant from the Equity Fund to help ensure that all of Washington’s youngest children are included. With billions in federal investments dependent on population (Washington received more than $16 billion in federal funds in 2016 based on the 2010 census) it is clear that counting everyone matters.

We look forward to joining dozens of other nonprofits in helping with this important effort. In the coming weeks we will create informational postcards for child care providers to share with families to help them understand the importance of an accurate census count. In the meantime, see who the other grantees are here: http://bit.ly/2QQbJml.

January 9, 2020

Focus on Child Care as an Economic Necessity

CCA of WA’s new CEO Deeann Puffert recently participated in a Puget Sound Business Journal Thought Leader conversation in Seattle about the importance of child care to our economy. The event also featured former state representative Kristine Reeves (who championed child care in the state legislature and is now running for Congress in the 10th District), Amy Anderson, government affairs director at the Association of Washington Business, and Jasmine Donovan, president of Dick’s Drive-In.

Thought Leader Forums are designed to increase awareness of important business and economic issues. The child care event focused on Washington’s child care crisis and on ways to solve it. It is clear that Washington’s employers have a key role to play in helping increase the supply of licensed child care, and they are beginning to realize how the child care crisis is directly impacting their bottom lines. We extend our thanks to the Puget Sound Business Journal for focusing on this important economic issue.

Washington employers interested in making a difference for their employees who are parents, and for their next generation of employees, can visit the Employers section of our website here https://staging.childcareawarewa.org/employers/ for ideas on what to do.