Child care is the backbone of a healthy economy, yet, recent data shows that one-third of licensed and regulated child care providers remain closed since being forced to shutter their doors when the coronavirus pandemic hit Arizona in March. Those providers who are open are serving less than half the children they did before the …
Research shows that Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, contribute to the likelihood of substance abuse and other health concerns later in life. Unfortunately, Arizona ranks higher than the national average for children who have experienced ACEs. These can include childhood traumas such as abuse and neglect. In fact, according to the Arizona ACE Consortium, “It …
Access to quality childcare is critical for Arizona’s children and their families. Early childhood educators in these settings build young brains by supporting children’s learning and development. Our goal is to ensure that 45 percent of our 3- and 4-year-olds can access quality early learning settings. Through the Arizona Education Progress Meter, we know this …
The regular Arizona legislative session has officially ended, after adjourning temporarily amid shelter-in-place orders. A group of Senate Democrats and Republicans moved to adjourn early this week without taking action on just under 30 noncontroversial bills – effectively ending session and killing those bills. As a reminder, emergency education legislation and a baseline budget bill …
As the coronavirus outbreak started to take widespread effect in Arizona, the importance of child care providers as crucial community assets became clear. For those workers who have no choice but to continue working outside their home, knowing that their children are cared for by skilled, trusted child care workers means one less worry on …
