Fellow Board Members, State Association Representatives, and Business Affiliates:

I hope this message finds everyone well.  I know you are all terribly busy as always, however I would appreciate it if you could answer some questions for me.  With all of the political activity surrounding child care I would like to establish a consensus for how NCCA will be advocating on behalf of its members.   Additionally, I would like to know if your state is currently providing funds from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act (CRRSC) that was passed in December.  This bill allocated $10B in additional CCDBG dollars that was distributed to the states in early April.  Please see the attachment provided that gives you specific information on how much money was provided to each state and their plan to spend it.  They do have until September 2022 to utilize all of these dollars. 

1.       Has your state begun providing the CRRSC funds to ALL child care providers whether or not they take subsidy children or not?   If yes, please describe the type of assistance you are receiving.

2.       Are you part of any group or organization in your community or state that is advocating for the use of this additional child care funding?  If yes, please state the name of the group and what it is they are asking for that will help your business and families. 

3.       Have you personally spoken to your governor’s office or your state legislatures regarding any concerns you have about maintaining your child care center(s) due to COVID-19?  If yes, please provide us some detail.

4.       Is your state providing any kind of hazard pay or bonus to staff?  If yes, how much is it?

5.       What is your biggest challenge with getting back to business at the same level you were at before COVID-19?

·        Hiring and or retaining high quality staff

·        Low enrollment

·        Other—If you choose this one, please provide some detail

6.       The American Relief Package (ARP) passed in March has allocated another $39B for child care. This includes $15B more for CCDBG and $24B in child care stabilization funding.   This money will not be funded to the states until sometime in September.  If providers in your community had a choice, how would they like this HUGE amount of additional dollars to be used to support high quality child care? 

7.       What are your thoughts about President Biden’s proposal to invest $200B in Free UPK and another $225B to make child care more affordable and make investments in high-quality child care and the child care workforce?

8.       Do you have any suggestions for me as the representative for the NCCA in how to use our voice to impact the necessary changes to our current delivery system of child care and early education?  These include, but are not limited to the following:

·        The need for a universal definition of high-quality early care and education

·        Ensuring a well- trained and compensated workforce

·        Actions needed to make high quality care and education accessible, equitable, and affordable

·        Reimbursement rates that reflect the true cost of providing high quality early care and education

If you would like more specifics about President Biden’s plan to invest $425B in child care please let me know.  I am happy to provide a summary to you. Please email me at clehnhoff@necpa.net.

Take Care,

Cindy Lehnhoff
Director, National Child Care Association

The National Child Care Association’s Webinar Series continues to go strong, providing viewers and participants with many valuable tips, tools, and strategies for Early Childcare Education professionals and families.

The next installment in this series, “How Curriculum Impacts the Retention of Teachers and Families,” will be on May 26th, from 1-2pm EST and will feature Learning Beyond Paper.

Did you know that curriculum can directly impact enrollment and staffing? Do your teachers struggle to effectively implement the curriculum? In the fast-paced, high-stress, early learning environment, there never seems to be enough time in the day to train and support teachers in the classroom. Identifying pain points early can support retention and ensure efficacy in your approach with children. In this session, we will demonstrate the importance of maximizing your curriculum’s potential and improve teacher-child interactions. Attendees will walk away with tools, tips, and strategies that promote effective curriculum use, create stronger connections with staff and families and provide high-quality early learning experiences for children.

Please register directly on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlcOmtpzouHtQE_WztP93U9dv0AQd2Ns7Z

Additionally, this webinar will feature a prize wheel with the grand prize being a 10-Inch Lenovo tablet with a durable case, a $250 value, among other prizes! Please be sure to register in advance so your name can be entered to win!

Learning Beyond Paper, Inc. was created to bring affordable, high-quality, equity-focused, and environmentally friendly curriculum and training solutions to early learning providers worldwide. Learning Beyond’s 21st-century curriculum for infants to pre-kindergarten is 100% online and includes everything teachers and administrators need at their fingertips, from a tablet or computer. Access 52 weeks of lesson plans and over 1,900 daily activities with integrated standards, Assessments, Training and so much more. Professional development is available with courses held throughout the year that are eligible for in-service hours. For more information, please visit LearningBeyondPaper.com, and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn @learningbeyondpaper. 

Thank you to all who attended our recent webinar, “WAIT, WHAT? Are You Kidding Me? Featuring Vernon Mason, Jr.”

For those that missed it or want to share the presentation with co-workers, please see the link below:

• WEBINAR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtcjjtQt20E

Additionally, we would love to gain your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LR6GR97

For those were able to attend the webinar please check your email for your certificate of completion (CE). For those that didn’t make it you may still watch the video and fill out the survey to receive yours.

AND, an extra bonus…we are offering a complimentary online presence assessment which will give your program a road map for your marketing and communications efforts. If interested, please email our partner Callan Group Communications at diane@thecallangrp.com to request yours today.

There’s still time to SIGN UP for THIS Wednesday’s Webinar!

NCCA Webinar: “Wait, what? Are you Kidding Me?” feat Vernon Mason, Jr.

So, have you ever thought, “I know this stuff does not happen to other people?” Vernon will share leadership stories about some of the situations he has been presented and survived in 30 years of early childhood leadership. The stories are REAL and unbelievable. This fun, laugh-out-loud discussion will remind you that “you’re not crazy, but maybe everyone else is!” You’ll leave with a better perspective and ready to tackle what the universe throws at you! This is Vernon’s favorite discussion topic!

Learn more about our presenter and topic and register at:

Thank you to all who attended our recent webinar, “Don’t Let Anyone Steal Your Joy as an Essential Care and Education Provider featuring Regina Miller.” For those that missed it or want to share the presentation s with co-workers, please see the link below:

• WEBINAR: https://youtu.be/dlLlSzQe_bU

 Thank you!

Save the date for our next webinar on, “Webinar Wednesday,” which we do the first Wednesday of the month!
…
Next one, May 5 at 1pm EST featuring:

“Wait, What? Are You Kidding Me?”
So, have you ever thought, “I know this stuff does not happen to other people?” Vernon will share leadership stories about some of the situations he has been presented and survived in 30 years of early childhood leadership. The stories are REAL and unbelievable. This fun, laugh-out-loud discussion will remind you that “you’re not crazy, but maybe everyone else is!” You’ll leave with a better perspective and ready to tackle what the universe throws at you! This is Vernon’s favorite discussion topic!

AND

10 Breakthrough Approaches to Hire in a Covid World!
Five years ago, the biggest struggle for directors and owners was enrollment. Today, the need for hiring employees has surpassed enrollment. It seems as if there are not enough candidates to fill the vacant positions. This workshop will challenge you to adjust your recruiting, interviewing, and hiring technics to maximize your new hires’ quantity and quality. 
…
REGISTER: www.NationalChildCare.org/webinars

The National Child Care Association’s Director, Cindy Lehnhoff gives an update about the recent $10B Coronvirus Relief package coming to providers! <<LISTEN HERE>>

Hello to all of our very ESSENTIAL Child Care Providers and Educators.  I am Cindy Lehnhoff with the National Child Care Association coming to you again with an important message for those of you working to keep our nations young children safe in their child care and early education environments.  If it weren’t for YOU, we would have parents that need to work but not able to do so.  If it weren’t for YOU, many young children would be missing out on their early education.  If it weren’t for YOU, some of our nations school age children would have no way to be supervised while participating in their virtual school programs.   YOU are indeed the ESSENTIAL work force that allows all other ESSENTIAL employees to go to work.

Along with recognizing and thanking all of you for your resilience and determination to serve your families I want to update you on the progress that has been made in the passing of 2 more COVID relief bills that have provided a historical amount of money to fill in the financial gaps that have negatively impacted child care providers.  These 2 bills combined will help renew and sustain our current child care system.  It is also enough money to help set the stage for gd? Improving the system in ways we have only talked about for years.  Thank you for the part many of you played in getting your US Legislators informed of what was needed to survive the pandemic and move forward. 

As most of you know a bill was passed in late December and signed by then President Trump called the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CCRSA).  This bill provided an additional $10B to the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG).  Keep in mind that this is nearly double the amount that is typically budgeted for one for year to the CCDBG.  What this means is that between March 2020 and March 2021 child care has received a total of $19.3B in CCDBG funds.  This is almost 4 times what is funded in a “normal” year.   The states have until September 2022 to spend the most recent addition of $10B to the CCDBG.   Each state was required to submit their plans to the federal Office of Child Care explaining how they plan to use this additional money to sustain child care through the pandemic by the end of February.   For your reference NCCA has posted on our website a document provided by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) that provides a link to how every state plans to spend their allocation of this money.  The information from CLASP also includes how much of the $10B each state is receiving.  You will note that each state’s plan is signed by an individual designated as the administrator of the plan. He or she is the person that oversees the execution of it.  You should also know that your Governor has the ultimate say in how and when this money is spent.  Another thing to be aware of is their autonomy to change their plan without further notification to the federal Office of Child Care.  Additionally, accountability for the money being spent in the ways intended is practically nonexistent at the federal level.   This is where YOU as a provider or educator may need to get involved. This a huge amount of money that the federal government has provided child care and it must be spent as intended and with urgency.  For example, the state receiving the smallest amount is Vermont and they are getting $12.2M and the state receiving the largest amount is Texas.  They are getting $1.1B!  While many states have written great plans to get this money out there to help providers not all states have.  I encourage you to take the time to ensure that your state is one that is going to act with integrity and urgency in the use of these additional $’s.  And if they are THANK your administrator and Governor for doing so.  If they are not please work urgently to organize with other providers in your area to establish what it is, you need for them to do to help your families and centers stay open and operate in a safe way for children.  If this is a route you have to take to ensure things are moving in the right direction, I recommend that you look at other state plans and how they are supporting their child care community with this huge influx of money meant for this purpose!  Doing so will help you and other providers establish an agenda for the discussion you are going to have with your administrator, Governor, and perhaps your state legislators.  Whatever you do please do not remain silent if you are not receiving the support that was intended by the passing of this relief bill.

This is all for now but stay tuned for the next update which will include more information and guidance on how the child care community can get involved with Reimagining the System of Child Care. With the recent passing of the American Relief Package child care has received an almost unbelievable amount of money–$39B.   We have lots of work to do to ensure that we create a high quality and sustainable child care system once and for all.  We have to use this money wisely and urgently because if we do not, we may never get another chance to demonstrate that with enough money we can do this.

 So for now TAKE CARE and TAKE ACTION if needed to get the support our federal legislators want you to receive from your STATE Government with all of these additional $$$$’s!

To contact me please email me at clehnhoff@necpa.net and www.NationalChildCare.org.

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Cindy Lehnhoff
Director, The National Child Care Association

Also, read more updated info below:

Sign up for The National Child Care Association’s, “Webinar Wednesday,” happening Wednesday, April 7 from 1:00pm – 1:45 EST!

Join us and Regina Miller as we discuss:

– Hiring for better days ( don’t let the pandemic stop you)!

– Parents need you now!

– Navigating a successful 2021!

Regina is a great presented and we are thrilled to have her with us next week!

Learn more and sign up at:

The National Child Care Association unifies our members through local and national networks and provides opportunities for continuing education through conferencing and webinars. Membership in NCCA also fulfills professional development membership requirements for the CDA and similar credentials, National Accreditation, and STARS/QRIS.

Additionally, NCCA partners with other national organizations to represent your voice on Capitol Hill and empowers members with advocacy training and resources. This was especially prominent when the pandemic first hit and lockdowns began in March 2020. Throughout the pandemic and while we still wade through uncertain waters, NCCA and its members have spoken up at the national level and fought for the quality and funding of childcare. NCCA members called their senators demanding funding for local daycare centers to open safely, as we understand that America works when child care works! In addition to encouraging the calls, NCCA provided templates and easy to access contact list for government officials across the United States.

Also among the many achievements of NCCA during 2020, we were strong advocates of the 2020 Census, making sure that every single child was counted at this critical time. Once 2020 Census data collection is complete, the Census Bureau begins a lengthy, thorough and scientifically rigorous process to produce the apportionment counts, redistricting information and other statistical data products that help guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector spending per year for the next ten years.

The National Child Care Association was here for you last year, is here for you this year, and we will be here for you in the days to come. The resources that we provide our members are vast and include industry education, discounted services, user-friendly resources, professional development guidance and so much more. Are you a member yet? Join us! Is there anything we can do for you? Let us know! Give us a call at 877-537-NCCA (6222) or email us at ncca@necpa.net.

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