As 2025 draws to a close, we reflect on a year marked by hard truths and hopeful progress. While progress at the federal level has been limited, with funding delays and a prolonged government shutdown, states have taken the lead. Across the country, bold action and policy victories at the state level remind us that…
Eboni Delaney, Director of Policy and Movement Building, NAFCC After 43 days of a federal government shutdown, the country slowly reopened, yet the ripple effects of those weeks will not disappear overnight. The shutdown’s reach went far beyond politics and affected families, child care programs, and the community supports that make daily life possible. When…
Written by Eboni Delaney, Interim Director of Policy and Movement Building, NAFCC “I want to know what I can do to get more Indiana family child care educators involved.” For the past seven years, Deondra Stewart has provided steady and reliable care to children and families in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She operates a family child…
November 5, 2025 Dear Family Child Care Educators, As the federal government shutdown continues, NAFCC is closely tracking updates that affect your programs and the families you serve. We want to ensure that you have the most accurate information and practical resources available to you right now. According to the National CAFCP Association, the USDA…
Written by Eboni Delaney, Interim Director of Policy and Movement Building, NAFCC “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For” When Trina D. Averette says, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for,” the words don’t come from a place of theory — they rise from lived experience. For nearly three decades, Trina has opened…
Written by Eboni Delaney, Interim Director of Policy and Movement Building “I realized I was more than a daycare. I was an educator, a social worker, and an advocate.” When you meet Olga Grays, you quickly understand her story is about more than opening a child care program. It is about resilience, community, and leadership.…
As of October 1, the federal government has officially shut down. While elected leaders debate funding, family child care educators continue to show up every day, caring for children, supporting families, and holding communities together. We know this shutdown is not abstract. It could bring real consequences: delays in subsidy payments, uncertainty around reimbursements, and…
Written by Eboni Delaney, Interim Director of Policy and Movement Building “It’s a sad day for early education in Arkansas.” Across the country, family child care educators are sounding the alarm. The stability of care is being chipped away, community by community, and the very foundation of child care is at risk. In state after…
By Eboni Delaney, Interim Director of Policy and Movement Building, NAFCC “I have no regrets. This journey has been full of laughter, joy, and upside-down wonders.” For Carolyn Collins, a veteran early childhood educator in St. Paul, Minnesota, family child care began as a temporary solution, but it grew into a lifelong calling. What started…
Written by Eboni Delaney, Assistant Director of Narrative and Movement Building “She passed at 8 1/2 months, and I continued this work in her name.” For over three decades, Mrs. Ollie Anderson has provided family child care in Miami Gardens, Florida, opening her doors and heart to children and families needing it most. But her…