Happy National Child Care Provider Day!

National Child Care Provider Day or Provider Appreciation Day is celebrated annually on the Friday before Mother’s Day. This commemoration was established in 1996 by a group of volunteers in New Jersey, who saw the need to recognize the work of child care providers. Each year, the celebration grows as individuals, local governments, and community groups take time to recognize and value the efforts of early learning providers. We want to say Thank You for all of your hard work! Because of your time, patience, and commitment, children are learning and feeling loved every day.

Thank you for. . .

• being reliable and consistent.
• greeting everyone with a smile, a hug, a high five, and helping children adjust when the morning has been rough.
• putting children’s needs before your own—even on the toughest days.
• tending to children when they’re ill and sometimes enduring the illness as well.
• participating in professional development and learning and understanding the latest child development research.
• teaching children to be mindful and kind and modeling these qualities yourself.
• continuing care past closing time for children when their parents are running late.
• helping children master life skills—toilet training, getting dressed, tying their shoes, handwashing—the list goes on!
• getting to know each family, their culture, language, and preferences.
• helping children into and out of their gear for much-needed outside play.
• providing nutritious meals, teaching etiquette, and talking around the table about things that interest children most.
• understanding that learning and play are messy!
• ensuring that children rest and tending to their needs, wants, and fears.
• spending your own money on materials and time on weekends preparing and collecting items to make learning meaningful and fun for children.
• shaping tomorrow’s teachers, engineers, chefs, builders, mechanics, doctors, nurses, carpenters. . . too many possibilities to list here!

You are superheroes, and your power empowers us to do better and be better. Thank you for your tireless effort!