Welcome to this month’s edition of “On the Move,” your inside look at the dynamic efforts and travels of the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). Our team has been busy crisscrossing the country, advocating for and advancing the cause of family child care. This month, we had representatives participating in events such as Day without Child Care, the Raising Child Care Raising America Conference in Virginia and the CARE Fund Convening in New Mexico. These conferences provided valuable opportunities to collaborate with fellow advocates, share our insights, and further our mission of improving child care for families across America.
The NAFCC team met to connect, collaborate, and plan the year ahead at the NAFCC staff offsite in Washington, DC. The team had a chance to learn, align, and foster next steps and priorities in service to the organization’s mission to support and leverage a nationwide network of providers and partners in expanding and promoting the power of family child care.
Throughout the month, NAFCC gave special recognition to family child care educators across the country in honor of Educator Appreciation Day and A Day Without Child Care. Many of these educators are actively involved in advocacy within their states, working tirelessly to advance policies and practices that benefit child care. Check out our social media channels @NAFCC to see these highlights.
Erica Phillips, Executive Director at NAFCC, and Yesenia Robles-Brown, Chief of Staff at NAFCC, attended the CARE Fund Convening in New Mexico. Their participation in this event highlights NAFCC’s commitment to engaging with key stakeholders and advancing its mission. The convening provided an invaluable opportunity for collaboration and sharing of best practices in the field.
NAFCC took part in the Child Care Aware Conference in Virginia, where they exhibited and co-presented a session with FCC educators. Their involvement highlighted their dedication to child care advocacy and education. Together with other child care educators and advocates, they celebrated a decade of progress in child care policy and funding, reflecting on achievements and discussing future challenges.
NAFCC joined DREME in celebrating the progress in the field at a conference hosted in collaboration with the Stanford Center on Early Childhood (SCEC), one of six initiatives of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. The free conference, held at the Li Ka Shing Learning and Knowledge Center on the Stanford campus, drew educators, researchers, policymakers, community advocates, and others working in early childhood from around the United States and beyond.
Erica Phillips, NAFCC’s Executive Director, attended the Too Small To Fail convening in NYC. This event featured Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton, Too Small to Fail, and leaders from the philanthropic, media, corporate, climate, and early childhood sectors exploring how popular media has addressed social issues and how best to apply lessons learned to elevate positive solutions to climate’s impact on our youngest children.
Phillips also attended the inaugural Moms First Summit in New York City, aimed at revolutionizing the narrative around motherhood and empowering moms across the nation.
NAFCC joined partners including our affiliates, San Mateo County Family Child Care Organization and Bay Area Professional Family Child Care Network, at the screening of Make a Circle in San Rafael, California. From an award-winning filmmaking team, MAKE A CIRCLE is a character-driven documentary that follows the directors and teachers at three child care centers over several years.
