CCAoA’s 2024 Leadership Institute will feature sessions on the latest research, innovations, and effective models in the areas of practice, policy, advocacy, and movement-building. Explore the sessions below and check back for additions.
A Roadmap for CCR&Rs & Intermediaries: Bridging the Gap Between Child Care and Community & Economic Development
Low Income Investment Fund & CCAoA Staff
While child care is critical to business and workforce needs, it is often left out of or under-represented in community and economic development agendas, activities, projects, and investments. Informed by a landscape analysis and report findings, A Roadmap for CCR&Rs & Intermediaries: Bridging the Gap Between Child Care and Community & Economic Development can be used by community organizations that support child care as a tool to inform outreach and cross-system engagement efforts and to help infuse child care into community and economic development conversations and efforts. The roadmap outlines how community and economic development is defined, the important role child care plays, and steps to create a strong and sustainable plan to strengthen the child care landscape through community and economic development efforts.
Early Childhood Professional-Centered Design: Applying the principle of human-centered design to authentically engage with early childhood professionals in systems work.
Cama Charlet Cole, Buffett Early Childhood Institute
Sustainable improvements in early care and education must be informed by those caring for young children every day. Solutions at every level of the system must build on the history and lived experiences of early childhood professionals. Join this interactive session to identify ways that the principles of human-centered design can be used to elevate the voices of early childhood professionals in systems work.
A Market Price Story: Re-envisioning Technical Assistance to Level-Up Statewide Data Collection
Central Coordination CCR&R
Embark on an Oregon adventure and unravel Oregon’s latest Market Price Survey journey. From precision planning to developing trusty tools and steadfast supports, this presentation unveils how Oregon paved the way for their early learning system to shape a data-driven future. Dive into the creation of accessible support materials and technical assistance that Oregon has implemented to improve data collection.
Health Equity in Action: The Role of Child Care Resource Organizations in Community Health
CCAoA Staff
Learn how child care resource organizations can play a critical role in improving community health through strategic partnerships with local health departments and other public health organizations. This session will highlight strategies for effective partnerships and share toolkit resources which aim to improve health and enhance your organization’s community impact.
Meeting the Moment: What’s Next After the End of Federal Relief?
CCAoA Staff
There is a lot of noise, but also uncertainty around what is next for child care funding and policy. In 2025, child care stakeholders are looking at new opportunities and potential challenges—newly elected federal and state officials, implementing recent CCDF Rule requirements, and navigating the first year post-ARPA funding are all on the table. With all states in session in 2025, Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) leaders must make decisions that best fit their legislative priorities, context, and organizational capacity to engage in advocacy for the upcoming year. Join the CCAoA Policy & Advocacy team to discuss how to make the most of this moment and hear from other CCR&R leaders as we talk through priorities, decisions, tactics, and partnerships for your upcoming policy and advocacy work.
Child Care in the 2024 Election and Implications for CCDBG
CCAoA Staff
Participants will hear from speakers about scenarios we could see in the next Congress after November’s election, how these scenarios would impact child care policy, including a potential CCDBG reauthorization, and federal advocacy strategies. Participants will then have time to discuss changes they wish to see in a potential CCDBG reauthorization.
CCR&Rs: Community Collaboration and Partnership During Emergency Events
CCAoA Staff
Partnerships allow Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) to focus resources on unmet needs in a community and ensure that families and child care providers receive services based on the expertise of various organizations and agencies. In this session, the Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery team at Child Care Aware of America will discuss the importance of collaborating with local and state emergency management agencies, public health officials, and other community stakeholders so that child care is at the table for emergency preparedness and response planning. Establishing partnerships in advance increases the likelihood that trusted partners can be called upon before, during, and after a disaster to meet the needs of child care in an efficient and effective manner.
We will also share our newly developed resource, the Child Care Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Partnership Toolkit for Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.
Julie Looper Coats, Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Child Care Aware of America
Holly Nett, Director, Child Care Emergency Partnerships, Child Care Aware of America
Centering Lived Experience to Develop Beloit’s Child Care Action Plan
Melissa Ortiz, Afton Partners
This session will provide an overview of our collective work in Beloit, Wisconsin, which sought to surface the root challenges of the city’s child care crisis and formulate recommendations by listening to the voices of those most impacted: families and providers. The session will invite participants to practice key components of our process.
