Apr 10, 20193 min read

Celebrate Week of the Young Child

Written by: Jill Hoops & Myra Shaw

Lauren had recently changed jobs when she found herself suddenly struggling to make ends meet.

With a young daughter, Emma, who was in need of child care each day while she was at work, Lauren wasn’t sure how she was going to balance her growing expenses, while ensuring Emma received the absolute best care and education possible to set her on the path to succeed in both school and life.

“Child care really impacts a young child when it comes to education and social skills,” says Lauren. “It teaches them how to play with other children and work well with others.”

Thankfully, Lauren found out about Childcare Resources and our Supplemental Child Care Program, which helps offset a portion of child care costs for low-to-moderate income working families.

“I enrolled my daughter into the Supplemental Child Care Program and our lives were completely changed! Having her in a safe child care facility gives me peace of mind when I go to work every day to provide for my family. I know my baby is safe and taken care of each day when I drop her off.”

Lauren and Emma’s story is not unique; the families we serve each and every day are

hard-working, and believe the best start in life for their children is a quality early learning environment. At Childcare Resources, we also believe in the benefits of early access to

high-quality education, and work together with our community to spotlight ways we can provide the best start in life to our youngest neighbors.

Week of the Young Child (April 8—12, 2019),

an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), is just around the corner , and we hope you will come together with us to spotlight the importance of early childhood education.

Children are born learners. They start learning about the world around them from the moment they are born, and a parent is a child’s first and most important teacher. Myra Shaw, the Director of Programs at Childcare Resources, believes the success of our mission is credited to the ability to listen to and support the child care providers, families, and the community we serve every day.

“Many parents depend on a child care program to provide care so they can go to work. This marks the beginning of a child’s education. It is in the first few years that a child’s brain is rapidly growing and developing.” – Myra Shaw

Development is greatly influenced by the experiences a child faces on a regular basis. When looking for child care, we have a number of resources parents can use, such as our Choosing and Using Child Care Guide to assist them in navigating the child care system, which includes a checklist to help identify quality child care.

The Week of the Young Child is a celebration of the early care and education community. It gives us the opportunity to thank those early care professionals who work daily to provide a reliable, safe, and nurturing learning environment for the children of our community to thrive and grow. Please join us as we celebrate and say a special thank you to those who understand the importance of early childhood education, and play an important part in providing the best start in life to children across our community!