California Child Care Resource & Referral Network

09/14/2026

Adults who received FFN care during their formative years are all around us, and they were shaped by the caregivers who helped raise them. During , we’re proud to celebrate the FFN caregivers who made a difference in a child’s life.

Los adultos que recibieron cuidados de FFN (familia, amigos y vecinos) durante sus años de formación viven entre nosotros; ellos fueron educados por los cuidadores que ayudaron a criarlos. Durante la semana , nos complace celebrar a los cuidadores FFN que marcaron la diferencia en la vida de un niño.

09/14/2026

We are less than a month away from The Thriving Families CA Foundation and the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network's 2026 Joint Annual Conference. Our community is coming together to connect, collaborate, and explore new ways to support children and families across California.

From the professionals working directly with families to the leaders guiding these organizations, attendees will share best practices, exchange ideas, and build connections that strengthen the work they do to help children, families, and communities thrive.

09/13/2026

Did you know that California's child care subsidy programs can help pay your FFN caregiver—even without a child care license? And if your caregiver is a grandparent, aunt, or uncle, they may be exempt from background check requirements, making the process even simpler. Contact your local Resource & Referral agency to find out if you qualify!

¿Sabía que los programas de subsidio para el cuidado infantil de California pueden ayudar a pagar a su proveedor de cuidado FFN (familia, amigos o vecinos), incluso si ellos no cuentan con una licencia de cuidado infantil? Además, si la persona que cuida a su hijo es un abuela/o, o una tía/o, es posible que estén exentos de los requisitos de verificación de antecedentes, ¡lo que simplifica aún más el proceso! Comuníquese con su agencia local de Recursos y Referencias para saber si reúne los requisitos.

09/10/2026

We are looking forward to our annual joint conference coming up next month with Thriving Families CA! New this year is a grouping of workshops called "Training & Tools for Today's Workforce." We hope this will be a helpful addition.

We received so many innovative workshop submissions, and we're so excited to bring them to the conference this year. See you soon!

09/08/2026

Last Thursday, Gretchen Howard, from the Network, went to the CCDF State Plan Input Session in LA.

Here are some points addressed:

• R&Rs are often the communicators to child care providers about training requirements and how to meet those requirements.

• Many R&Rs provide preventative health practices and disaster training resources. As we saw during the pandemic, because they are local and embedded in the child care community, they can help providers to be able to respond to disasters

There are a couple more input sessions, and we'll keep you updated on any developments.

09/08/2026

09/04/2026

Take Action: important points from Child Care Aware of America:
Contact your Senators and Representative now, before the pre-election recess narrows the calendar even further.

• Ask them directly to support robust funding for CCDBG, Head Start and Early Head Start, and PDG B-5 in the final FY27 Labor-HHS bill.
• Share how child care funding affects your community — as a provider, a parent, or an advocate. Personal stories carry weight with offices weighing priorities.
• Stay engaged! Election season doesn’t pause the appropriations process, and neither should we.

CCAoA urges Congress to increase child care funding, so that families can find care, providers can keep their doors open, and communities can grow.

09/02/2026

For child care providers: It’s a great time to make plans for the kids in your care and to think about goals. Here are some steps you can take to move through the planning process.

Step One: Reflection
Go over the last year and think about what went well and what needs improvement. Consider the following categories: arrival and departure, parent communication, indoor and outdoor environment, snacks and meals, nap time, arts and crafts, and any other parts of your program.

Step Two: Goal Setting
Create a few goals and specific steps to complete them based on what you want to improve.

Step Three: Planning
Map out routines, food, themes, and craft projects. Check out the ECE Shared Resources platform, www.eceresourcesca.org, for classroom activities, business resources, and helpful templates that are free for all CA child care providers.

Step Four: Checking In
Every few months, look at your goals and plans to see how it’s going and what you can do to continue to move toward achieving them. You can also view your profile on mychildcareplan.org and update any information that has changed.

We hope this is helpful for you as you envision what your program can look like for the school year and move toward making that a reality.

09/01/2026

Registration is now open for our next virtual Training of Trainers: Bringing the Protective Factors Framework to Life in Your Work!
This immersive four-day training is an opportunity to become an Alliance Certified Trainer and join a growing national network of more than 2,600 certified trainers who are helping strengthen families and communities through the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework.

Bringing the Protective Factors Framework to Life in Your Work Training of Trainers
November 16-19, 2026
11 AM-4 PM Eastern Time
Tuition: $2,500

Tuition includes training, materials, shipping, and ongoing support through our national trainer network upon completion.
Space is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We expect this training to fill up quickly, so if you are interested, please register ASAP to secure your spot.

Register here: https://share.hsforms.com/1B38HGLBTTA6Wl16EzISVcgqxk6h

See flyer for more information.

09/01/2026

SB 1051 is now on Governor Newsom’s desk, bringing us one step closer to expanding access to critical emergency child care for children in foster care and their caregivers.

Join us in urging the Governor to sign SB 1051 and help strengthen support for California’s most vulnerable children.

"We are thankful for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program and Senate Bill 1051. Let's continue to support our children in foster care with access to child care and trauma-informed care resources for our child care providers and families!" -Candy

📢 Take action now!