In my 42 years of working with young children and their parents I am saddened to find that today’s families are in more crises than ever. Many parents have lost their jobs and many of those who haven’t are working part-time or irregular work schedules. Few have job benefits and little or no hope for advancement. Now, more than ever, quality child care is a very important family support.

With family members employed or seeking employment (even grandparents), child care is often a necessity. A parent earning minimum wage will often have to pay up to 40% of their take-home income for care for ONE child. If there are two or more children, it can seem impossible for the parent to work and pay for child care. Parents who are making this kind of sacrifice should be confident that they are placing their child in the best possible environment. Together, a community can encourage parents who work to support their families by ensuring that quality child care services are available, accessible, and affordable.

Childcare Resource Network is an advocate for Help Me Grow because we know what a difference high quality child care can make in identifying a young child’s needs and helping a family connect to resources. In many cases, a parent or guardian may know a child has a need, but be unsure how to define it or meet it. This is where a well-trained child care staff can empower parents to be their child’s advocate in the system of services. Help Me Grow has already provided the AL Access Guide to Early Childhood Services (pdf), which is a great tool for child care providers to use with any family. We look forward to further developments from Help Me Grow that will help us help children grow.