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Dear families, caregivers, child care providers, and people of Washington,

This Friday, May 6^th, we celebrate Provider Appreciation Day and the adults in Washington who care for young children (www.providerappreciation.org). I always smile on this day, because I remember being a center director who felt the love of the children and families I served on this day each year. In fact, I still have one of the appreciation gifts I received over 30 years ago (see pictures). This was a simple gift and one I have carried with me as my career has unfolded.

I hope you will agree that these critical educators have been essential to families, communities, and our economy long before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, but the past few years have highlighted just how important they are in our daily lives. Child care providers keep our children safe, nurture their growing skills and talents, and help to prepare them for school and life. As families navigated new challenges in juggling work demands during pandemic disruptions, child care providers stepped up and provided a crucial service for parents and caregivers of young children, while adapting to changing health guidance to keep children and their families safe.

At Child Care Aware of Washington (CCA of WA), our staff and facilitators provide coaching and support services to child care providers statewide. Throughout the pandemic, we worked closely with providers and caregivers, answering their questions, listening to their concerns, advocating for their needs, providing supplies and resources, and supporting their programs through training, coaching, and other services.  As you might imagine, providers are tired, making this year a truly important year to appreciate their hard work.

As we at CCA of WA reflect on the heroic work of child care providers in Washington during these past years and always, we ask you to join us in celebrating and appreciating these critical educators. Here are some ways you can acknowledge the child care provider in your life:

• Send a bouquet of flowers, a thank you card, or a handwritten note of appreciation
• Work with your child or with other families to create a special gift
• Share a message on social media appreciating the impact of their care for your family
• Surprise your provider with a thank you basket or gift card (ex. coffee, take out, etc.)
• Buy something for your provider’s play area

I hope you will join me in celebrating early childhood educators. It is more important than ever to act this year!

All my best,

Deeann Burtch Puffert

CEO, Child Care Aware of Washington

We are excited to announce that Sandy Maldonado, Director of Early Learning at Child Care Aware of Washington, will join Child Care Aware^® of America’s Board of Directors in January 2022.

“I am honored to join Child Care Aware of America’s Board of Directors and look forward to continuing and expanding the important work of ensuring quality early learning experiences across our nation for all children and particularly for children of color who, as we know, experience racism at the youngest ages,” said Sandy. “As importantly, I am dedicated to expanding policies and programs for child care providers, many whom are women of color, the small business owners in our communities that help drive our economy for working parents and employers.”

Join us in congratulating Sandy on this achievement and opportunity. We look forward to seeing the impacts of her work with our partners in the nation’s capital. You can read the press release here and read Child Care Aware^® of America’s announcement here.

The PBS NewsHour, one of the nation’s most trusted nightly news sources, has produced an upcoming week-long series on child care in the United States entitled Raising Our Future: America’s Child Care Dilemma. The series is scheduled to run in five segments over the course of the week of July 12th.

Each segment will have a specific focus that will be covered in a 7-10 minute package and we anticipate that the particular needs of infants and toddlers will be woven throughout the series. Find it on your local PBS station, or stream it on the PBS NewsHour YouTube channel. 

Child Care Aware of Washington applauds and celebrates Congress’s nearly unanimous approval of proclaiming Juneteenth a national holiday. Juneteenth marks an important date in our history that reminds us of our need individually, organizationally and as a country to pursue racial justice and equity, and to do so working alongside our Black brothers and sisters.

At Child Care Aware of Washington it is a particularly important reminder of our need to focus on children’s early experiences of racism. We are working to ensure that they spend their days in bias-free learning environments that support children’s racial identity development and demand an appreciation and space for all races and cultures to be present and celebrated.

Racism harms all children, and none worse than Black children. All of us at Child Care Aware of WA recognize this disturbing fact and are working to prevent that harm in our state’s child care and early learning system. We do this by interrupting racism in child care classrooms across the state by providing coaching, access to resources, training, early education that directly addresses racism in action and how to change teaching practices that support it.

When we start teaching children early about the value of all races, all cultures and all abilities we make progress against the generational racism and white supremacy that harms all children and especially children of color. We celebrate Juneteenth so our children can know the full truth of America’s history, as well as for the end of Black slavery. We celebrate Juneteenth to recognize and share the strengths, beauty and contributions of Black people throughout our history. And while we celebrate gains that chip away at racism, we remain comitted to the work of dismantling racist systems that harm Black communities, Black families and Black children. We stand with all who engage in this transformative work.

We encourage all families to recognize and talk with their children about the importance of Juneteenth. There are many great resources to help. Here are two:

• Sesame Street: Let’s Celebrate Juneteenth song
• Learning for Justice – Teaching Juneteenth

 ’Every year we must remind successive generations that this event triggered a series of events that one by one defines the challenges and responsibilities of successive generations. That’s why we need this holiday.’’ Al Edwards   #Juneteenth

OLYMPIA, WA – May 4, 2021 – Governor Inslee will issue a Ceremonial Proclamation this Friday, May 7th expressing his appreciation for Washington’s child care providers, who have always helped power our economy by allowing parents to work, and who have provided exceptional services to their communities during the pandemic. Their work is making it possible for thousands of essential/frontline workers to do their work that serves everyone. Gov. Inslee will sign Washington’s Fair Start for Kids Act during a virtual celebration of providers from 10:30 – 11:30 that morning. Media are invited. Please register here.

Gov. Inslee deemed child care providers essential in March 2020 to ensure that healthcare workers, first responders and other critical workers could go to work. During the past 14 months our state’s providers have struggled to stay open. They have navigated ever-changing health and safety guidelines and COVID-19 prevention strategies, faced financial strain due to having fewer children to care for and higher costs due to increased sanitation needs and cared for school-age children who were learning remotely. Some Washington providers became ill with the virus themselves, and many helped families of children in their care cope with illness and bereavement. Many providers faced all of this without having health insurance. Some even dipped into their personal savings accounts to cover costs so they could stay open.

“I am inviting all Washingtonians to join me in celebrating National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day on May 7th by recognizing the tremendous value child care workers bring to the families they serve as well as to their communities. This past year, thousands of child care workers across the state have been providing care and support to the children of health care workers and other critical infrastructure workers on the front lines of the state’s pandemic response. I’m encouraging parents, families, and employers throughout Washington to join me in celebrating all child care workers on May 7th, National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day.”

During the past 14 months, up to 24% of Washington’s licensed child care providers closed, most temporarily due to exposure or potential exposure to the virus, or because they did not have enough children to care for. Providers have experienced an average 47% reduction in enrollment and income during the pandemic due to families keeping their children home and health guidelines requiring lower enrollment to keep children safe. Nearly 30% of WA’s child care workforce was laid off. Additionally, providers struggled to find the essential supplies they need to safely operate. Items such as toilet paper and bleach were nearly impossible to find. Child Care Aware of Washington (CCA of WA) helped supply these essentials for providers and helped thousands of programs by assisting with grant applications, understanding health and safety guidelines and creatively finding ways to support and care for children while also practicing physical distancing.

“Child care providers have gone the proverbial extra mile and more this past year,” said CCA of WA Chief Executive Officer Deeann Burtch Puffert. “We know they deserve extra kudos and celebration on this Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. We hope families and the business community joins us in appreciating these incredible providers who have literally kept us all going during these difficult months.”

Child Care Aware of Washington is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to connecting families to local, high-quality, licensed child care and early learning programs, and to supporting providers who deliver high-quality care. As a statewide network of six regional agencies, we work directly with child care providers, offering professional development services and higher education scholarships to help providers integrate research-based,

best practices into their programs. We track child care supply, demand and cost data statewide and in every county. We are committed to ensuring that each and every child in Washington, regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, culture, primary language or economic status, has access to the quality care and early learning they need to succeed in school and life. For more information, please visit our website at https://staging.childcareawarewa.org/ and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Child-Care-Aware-of-Washington-149636987661/ and on Twitter @childcarewa.

Child Care Provider Appreciation Day is Friday, May 7. This year it is especially important to let your provider know how much you appreciate them and the essential work they do.

There are many ways to thank your provider and show your appreciation. Here are a few ideas:

• Have your child make them a special card or a poster
• Drop off a meal
• Give a gift card
• Bring a special treat
• Write a nice note

Child care providers work very long days, and often are not compensated well. During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, providers have been working extra hard supporting their communities, providing nurturing care to children during challenging times, helping school-age children with remote learning, following new health and safety guidelines and teaching children how to stay physically distanced, all while facing the risk of exposure to the virus. Please make sure to let your provider know how much you appreciate all they do for your child and family. After all, what would you do without them?

#ProviderAppreciationDay

Employers – what would your employees who are parents do without child care? Share this letter with them to remind them to appreciate their child care provider on May 7, Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. Thank you!