Page 2 - 2020 Perspective Newsletter - English

Message from the CEO
Dear Child Care Providers,
These are tumultuous times we are living through. First a pandemic that shut down most of the state except for essential workers and then a loosening of restrictions and now a tightening again. And through all of it child care has been deemed an essential service. We have continued to provide all of our services and most of you have as well. In our CCRC service area in Los Angeles County, 79.5% of family child care providers are open and 39.8% of centers are open. In San Bernardino 76.5% of family child care providers are open and 23.7% of
centers are open. The restrictions on group sizes have made it especially difficult for centers to reopen and we are concerned that many will not be able to reopen. We have tried to educate the state and the federal government that child care is essential to get people back to work and we have also continued to point out how undervalued everyone working with young children is. The media gets it – there have been editorials and stories in the NY Times, US Today, the LA Times and even the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.
We want to thank you for opening your arms to the essential workers who were funded to receive child care for the last two months and have continued to receive funding for at least another 3 months. We enrolled 2,480 children in Los Angeles County and 1,400 children in San Bernardino County. We have also distributed $3,811,138 in cleaning supplies. CCRC staff in each of our office locations as well as at our warehouse have sorted, lifted and distributed these essential items to the ECE community. We also received donations and distributed 9,000 books, 300 school supplies, 24,000 face coverings, 3,300 toiletries, 184,000 packages of diapers and wipes and 4,000 bags of food.
We were very involved in fighting against the proposed 10% rate cut to providers that was proposed in the
most recent state budget proposals. And we were pleased when the legislature rejected the cut. But we can’t do it alone. There are currently federal bills that would help to support the early childhood community including the Child Care is Essential Bill which has 100 legislators signed on. You can support yourself by reaching out to your elected officials and expressing your opinion on the bill as well.
We are always looking for resources that will help you in your day to day endeavors. We have trauma staff and coaches that can provide support. All children have strengths but in these times of stress they may react in ways that are disruptive. Please reach out if you need some help.
And I would be remiss if I did not speak about anti-racism. It is all of our responsibility to address racism where we find it. I believe we have to start by examining our own biases and CCRC has started by creating an anti-racist task force to address our internal biases and also look at how we interact with our families, our providers and each other. This is not an easy process nor will it be a quick one. But is a necessary process. I believe in fairness and treating everyone the way I want to be treated and as an agency we must do the same.
This year, more than ever, we celebrate child care providers for their heroic efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. You are on the frontlines providing child care for essential workers! WE THANK YOU. May was Child Care Provider National Appreciation Month and we
put together this video to honor you.
Sincerely,
Michael Olenick, Ph.D.
President & CEO
2 | Perspectives Newsletter