CA Child Care Resource & Referral Network

“While this budget does include some measures that will support our communities, such as increased disaster aid, it’s far from what child care providers and families need in California. This proposal ultimately backslides on key promises to increase subsidized child care spaces and pay providers based on enrollment. Child care providers cannot continue to operate on thin margins - we need to pay providers equitable wages, and we need to ensure that parents receive child care when they need it. We also need to create a well-funded infrastructure that supports both of them." - Kelly Graesch, Interim Executive Director rrnetwork.org/updates/respon…

Resource Hub For Subsidized Agencies Now Available!! We are so excited to announce that a new section for Subsidized agencies (R&R, APP, CWD and Tribal Agencies) has been added to the TrustLine website. trustline.org/subsidized-age… This resource is designed to help you find all the information you need in one place. In this section, you will find: • A complete program overview • Training videos • Essential forms • Information on timelines and delayed results • What happens when an applicant has a criminal history • And much more! The goal of this section is to provide more TrustLine information, support, and resources for subsidized agencies.

Alma and Nick, from the Network, attended the 4Cs of Alameda County Children's Fair this past Saturday. They shared information on TrustLine to help families learn about the background checks they can utilize when making child care decisions. It was a great event and well attended, with a lot of great resources provided to families.

Get ready to read! We have hand-picked dozens of fabulous books for young children to learn about social and cultural topics. Members of the Network and those providing care and education for children in CA receive FREE access to eceresourcesca.org (a subscription valued at $100 annually, provided by the CA Child Care R&R Network). Visit ECEresourcesCA.org or follow the link in our bio to register today! #ChildCareResources #EarlyChildhood #ECEProfessionals #CaliforniaChildCare #ECESharedResourcesCA

Today is Stand for Children Day, a national day of advocacy and commitment to children. It brings together families and advocates to demand better education, healthcare, and child care for all children, specifically supporting those with limited resources.

“This is the person who thinks child care providers have the most important job in the world.” Grace Hartman - Family Child Care Home Training Coordinator

“This is who was held, nurtured, and shaped by FFN care….To every home-based child care provider creating magic every day: thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” -Carolina Castillo Quintero, Manager, Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP)

“This is who values the child caregivers who helped to raise us. Every one of them is worthy of a living wage.” -Disa Lindgren and brother Alan, Technical Assistance & Support Coordinator, Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) Happy Provider Appreciation Day!

Today was day one of the 6th Annual Bridge Conference, "Together We Heal." We started out our time hearing from Dr. Nicol Russell on "Holding Steady: Purpose, Presence & Power in Practice." We learned the value of finding what anchors us, our why, and how to navigate utilizing our inner compass to move through difficult moments. We also heard about the importance of finding inspiration and what ignites our joy to hold steady.

Today, we are boldly advocating for increased federal investments in child care! We join advocates from across the country to lift up one unified message: “Every family should be able to find and afford child care so they can work, support their families, and contribute to the economy. Federal investments are essential to make that possible,” … and we know that 'Investments in child care pay for itself.” - Dr. LaWanda Wesley (CCRC).

Today, we're highlighting MC3! Marin Child Care Council was founded in 1979. They offer a variety of services for parents, child care providers, and the community that are essential to the delivery of quality child care in Marin County. View their website to learn more about events and trainings: mc3web.org/trainings-even…

**Exciting Funding Opportunity from the Dept. of Ed** Who is it for: County Offices of Education (COEs) What it provides funds for: The Tobacco-Use Prevention Education County Technical Assistance Funds provide funding to county offices of education to provide leadership, administrative oversight, training, and technical assistance (TA) to all local educational agencies (LEAs) in the county. Link to apply: cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/profile.…

Leadership in action. The R&R Network thanks leaders across the R&R field for gathering in Sacramento to help shape our future.

On April 15, our Provider Services Department piloted a training focused on Examining Bias in FFN Child Care. Through this training, participants got an opportunity to identify common explicit and implicit biases related to FFN childcare, understand how bias shows up in policies, practices, language, and interactions, reflect on their own positionality and assumptions when working with FFN providers, apply concrete strategies to disrupt bias at the individual, interpersonal, and systems levels, and strengthen respectful, strengths-based partnerships with FFN caregivers. This training was facilitated by Dr. Nicol Russell, an early learning professional with over 20 years of experience devoted to caring for, teaching, and advocating for young children. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, a master’s degree in early childhood and early childhood special education, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership. This project is made possible by a @F5LABestStart grant, which funds an ongoing multi-year FFN bias project.

Reflections from Oscar on the CA 211 Disaster Ready and Resilient Conference: “Yesterday was my first time attending a 211 conference. The people there are deeply passionate about the work they do. During challenging times, staff carry a real emotional load: doing case management, following up, and making sure families get the support they need. That was inspiring to see, given the kind of work we do. The other thing that stuck with me: people tend to assume recovery is just a matter of time, but what we've seen — after COVID, after the wildfires — is that even as time passes, some things never fully recover. Attending in person gave me a different lens on all of this compared to just watching the news or scrolling social media. They also spoke about areas impacted by wildfires — how workers coordinated across departments and agencies to put together materials and systems on the fly, because these situations get thrown at you without warning, and everyone is learning and doing at the same time. It was a good reminder of the disparity in resources across regions, and it gave me food for thought about what it means when families face existential issues — sometimes just needing something over their heads for the night.” -Oscar Tang The R&R Network was pleased to host a panel discussion, “Supporting Families & Child Care Providers in Times of Emergency.” A big thank you to panelists Tiffany Phovixay & Tran Nguyen, Family Resource Center San Joaquin County, Lana Frisby, Lionheart Safety, and Pamela Arciaga, Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles, and all their expertise and passion in disaster response & recovery efforts supporting children and child care providers. To find a local 211: 211.org To find a local R&R agency: rrnetwork.org/about/r-r-dire…

Did you know Resource & Referral agencies help build strong, sustainable child care businesses by providing training and support?

Beautiful Marketing = Higher Enrollment! Child care businesses can try out these instant, free templates to make flyers and social media posts! Not sure how to use Canva? We got you!! Guidance for all of your materials is here. Members of the Network and those providing care and education for children in CA receive FREE access to eceresourcesca.org (a subscription valued at $100 annually, provided by the CA Child Care R&R Network). Visit ECEresourcesCA.org or follow the link in our bio to register today! #ChildCareResources #EarlyChildhood #ECEProfessionals #CaliforniaChildCare #ECESharedResourcesCA

So great to meet in person with R&R agencies from Southern California! Children's Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County hosted the event and provided tours of their family-friendly and welcoming office space. Regional Meeting discussion included best practices around preparing for R&R monitoring reviews, connecting with local Community Care Licensing and supporting providers, and spending contract funds as we approach the end of the fiscal year. Member agencies continue to report how helpful these in-person gatherings are for rich discussion, valuable networking and connection!

What is Week of the Young Child? The Week of the Young Child is a nationwide, week-long celebration in April that highlights the importance of high-quality early childhood education. It recognizes the needs of young children, their families, and the educators who support them. #WOYC26

The Network is delighted to present at the 211 Disaster Ready & Resilient Conference on April 22. We will be participating on a panel called, "Child Care Resource & Referral (R&R) agencies and Community Partnerships: Supporting Families & Child Care Providers in Times of Emergency." Kelly Graesch & Heather Lang-Heaven will be presenting along with Tiffany Phovixay & Tran Nguyen, Family Resource Center San Joaquin County, Lana Frisby, Lionheart Safety and Pamela Arciaga, Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles Join this panel representing child care R&R and partners to discuss disaster-ready models, opportunities to deepen partnerships with 211 and other entities, identify resources, and discuss best practices serving families and child care providers during our toughest times.