About Child Care Aware® of America
Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is the only national organization that supports every part of the child care system. Together with an on-the-ground network of Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) organizations working in states and communities, CCAoA advances high-quality, affordable child care and turns a patchwork of resources into a system that works for everyone.
Together with an on-the-ground network of child care resource organizations working in states and communities, CCAoA provides research that drives effective practice and policy, builds strong child care programs and professionals, helps families find and afford quality child care, delivers expertise and partnership to the military and direct service to its families, works with employers on child care solutions, and provides a real-world understanding of what works and what doesn’t to spur policymakers into action and help them build solutions.
Together, we make America child care strong—and that makes everyone stronger.
- How we make a difference
America has a fragmented child care system that is holding us back and hurting everyone—children, families, child care providers, communities, employers, and our military.
America needs:
- Affordable, quality child care that meets the needs of working and military families.
- A strong network across the country helping families find and afford quality child care while building the supply of sustainable child care programs with skilled teachers.
- Research, field-level intelligence, and analysis that is actionable.
- Public policy and funding that recognizes child care as essential to the nation.
We galvanize solutions through:
- Growing and strengthening a national network of CCR&Rs that deliver on-the-ground child care solutions for states and local communities.
- Producing data, research, and real-world information gathered from our network in states and communities to drive effective practice and policy.
- Working with policymakers to build solutions and spurring them to take action.
- Providing expertise and direct services to military families to meet their child care needs and support our national security.
So that:
Every family is able to find quality, affordable child care so they can work and provide for their families. Every child in child care is healthy, safe, nurtured, and learning. All communities are supported by Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) organizations that build the supply of quality child care, grow a skilled child care workforce, solve child care challenges for families and businesses, and keep the economy growing.
- Our Vision
Every family in the United States has access to a high-quality, affordable child care system. The child care system supports children’s growth, development, and educational advancement and creates a positive economic impact for families and communities.
- Our Mission
We advance a child care system that effectively serves all children and families. Our work is strengthened by a national network of child care resource and referral agencies and diverse members and partners.
- Our Guiding Principles
- Purposeful Partners. We put people and relationships first, look for ways to add value, and do what we say.
- Courageously Capable. We hold ourselves and each other capable of getting hard things done and give and share power, information, and credit freely.
- Change Seekers and Makers. We know we can achieve our goals together and champion the progress happening across America to make child care stronger.
- One Team, Many Stories. We value our unique stories and perspectives that make us a better team that is united in our shared mission.
- Our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan
Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is at a critical inflection point where the organization seeks to strategically position itself in the wake of multiple social, economic, and health crises that upended the lives of children and families across the country. Given this important moment, CCAoA
has engaged in a transformative strategic planning process, leading the field forward.
- Our Annual Report
The 2023 annual report demonstrates the essential role CCAoA plays in making America child care
strong. Together with our national partners and network across the country, we increased public funding for child care so more families could afford quality child care, recruited more advocates to take action, helped military families find and afford child care, provided actionable research that positioned us as a go-to source for media and policymakers, strengthened child care programs and supported teachers in building their skills, and grew our network.
