About ECCTAC | TA for Systems-Level Leaders | TA for Child Care Providers

Child Care Aware^® of America recently launched a new initiative to support the community during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond. Below, you will find help for families who are experiencing trouble finding child care.

• What is the impact so far of the COVID-19 outbreak on child care facilities throughout the U.S.?

  CCAoA has heard from several child care providers around the country who are very concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on the children and families they serve, and on their staff members. They are also concerned that they may need to close and could lose their business.

  We’ve also heard from parents who don’t know where to turn for backup child care if their primary providers are forced to close. One of our members, Child Care Aware^® of North Dakota, has tips to help parents in any state create a backup child care plan.

  Want to find out child care closures and updates to statewide policies? Use our State-by-State Map to find out more about closures and our State Ratio and Policy Table to learn more about changes to child care policies each month.

• Is it safe to bring my child to child care?

  From CCAoA – The coronavirus crisis may make you wonder if it is safe to send your child to a child care program. We created a document that outlines enhanced health and safety measures child care programs may take to help you make the best choice for your family. This information applies to both family child care homes and child care center settings.

  Download the PDF.  

  Also available in Spanish.

  When to Keep Your Child Home from Child Care – from the American Academy of Pediatrics, this page summarizes the AAP’s formal recommendations around when it’s ok to bring your child to child care and what conditions prevent them from attending.

• What resources can help me talk with my children about what's going on?

  • From CCAoA – Try our Let’s Talk about Feelings: Brain-Building Tips for Encouraging Healthy Emotional Development in Young Children resource (PDF download) to help children process their emotions. Also available in Spanish.
  • From CCAoA – Try brain-building tips from Vroom (PDF download) with your child for preparing, responding to or recovering from an emergency.
  • From CCAoA –  Try brain-building at home tips from Vroom (PDF download) with your infant, toddler or preschooler during COVID-19.
  • NPR’s Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus – This comic answers kids’ questions about the coronavirus. It can also be printed and read to younger children.
  • Child Mind Institute’s Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus – Many parents are wondering how to bring up the pandemic in a way that will be reassuring and not make kids more worried than they already may be. Here is some advice from the experts at the Child Mind Institute.
  • Child Trends released its Resources for Supporting Children’s Emotional Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which outlines many recommendations to help children during the crisis.
  • The CDC recently released some helpful points for talking with children about COVID-19 as well as helping children cope with emergencies and disasters.
  •  From CCAoA –  We’ve shared some additional brain-building tips to incorporate into your new routines at home in this post, At-Home Brain-Building Tips for Families with Children Ages Birth to Five.
  • Families Tackling Tough Times Together Facebook group and community of support helping families to strengthen their resilience while they cope with a multitude of challenges brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Call Our Hotline

CCAoA is proud to offer a hotline for families who may have questions about finding child care, child care safety and more.

Mon/Wed/Fri:
9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. EDT

Tues/Thurs:
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. EDT