Child care providers to be recognized

Special to the Ledger


Published: April 24, 2008

FORT RUCKER — Child care organizations and parents across the globe are joining together the Friday before Mothers’ Day to celebrate Provider Appreciation Day. It is estimated that nearly 12 million children under age 5 in the United States are in some type of child care every week.

Locally, Fort Rucker Family Child Care is leading this effort. Providers’ Appreciation Reception will be May 9, 2008, from 6 until 9 p.m. at Aviators’ Landing.

“Every day, child care providers care for 6 children under the age of 5 in Fort Rucker’s Family Child Care homes,” said Vender Tabb, Director, of Family Child Care. “The children and parents of Fort Rucker depend on our child care providers. May 11 is the day to recognize the hard work and dedication of providers and to acknowledge their contributions to high-quality care.”

“By applauding the dedication of child care providers on May 11, we remind our communities of the importance of high-quality child care, and let providers everywhere know that we recognize and value their important work,” said Linda K. Smith, Executive Director of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), the lead sponsor of Provider Appreciation Day. “It is important that the care a child receives during the first five years of life be of high-quality because 90 percent of brain development occurs during those years.”

In recent years, local governments across the United States have joined many Governors in proclaiming this day of recognition. Around the globe, Department of Defense installations celebrate Provider Appreciation Day by recognizing those who care for the children of military parents living both at home and abroad. The celebrations this year promise to carry on and strengthen Provider Appreciation Day. Efforts are under way to ask child care organizations, public officials, and parents to honor their child care providers for their hard work and commitment to children through events such as luncheons, parades, dedications, and other recognition celebrations.

“It takes a special person to work in the child care field and these individuals are often unrecognized,” said Tabb. “This day offers an opportunity for parents to show their child care providers their appreciation.“

To learn more about Provider Appreciation Day or for ideas on how you can thank your child care provider, contact Fort Rucker Family Child Care at Bldg 132, 6th Avenue, 334-255-3446. For additional information, visit http://www.providerappreciation.org

In NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies is our nation’s leading voice for child care. We work with more than 800 state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to ensure that families in every local community have access to high-quality, affordable child care.