The CT Child Care Association (CCCA) would like to wish its members, friends and followers a Happy New Year!

2013 is here and should prove to be an exciting time for the private child care industry.  CCCA has many plans to help elevate the interests and needs of the industry through lobbying efforts, enhanced communication with legislators and an active role in regulation changes.  As individuals we can all take steps to support the efforts of our industry as a whole.

Get Informed

Too often, as small business owners we become entrenched in the day-to-day running of our programs.  Our days are spent with staff, families and children and our nights are spent thinking about ways to increase quality, increase enrollment, answer needs and reduce costs.  As a result, we are often surprised by what happens outside the parameters of our own busy worlds.  In 2010, childcare centers woke to the fact that preschoolers were leaving their programs for free offerings in magnet schools.  Since then the number doing so has increased consistently.   Home daycare providers found themselves suddenly unionized.  We were surprised by these events because we assumed someone would tell us what we would need to know.  Nobody did. 

It is important to seek out the information that helps best prepare for a changing world.  Read the news, follow industry organizations and research legislative developments.  It is both our right and our responsibility.   And most important, become a member of CCCA and participate in our process.  We will filter what is happening so that you, as a childcare owner, will understand how the issues affect you.


Get Involved

Too often as small business owners we view ourselves as naïve, insignificant or just too busy to participate in the events outside of our businesses and our families.  We defer to policy makers and other “experts” and allow them to act as our voices and assume they speak for us with the same interests and goals.  We find out too late that no one was actually representing our interests as private childcare businesses nor considering the impact of their decisions on our livelihoods. 

We must voice our own needs and advocate for our best interests.  We must join organizations and participate in meetings and committees.  We must communicate with legislators and let them know how they can support our businesses.  We must write to editors or attend hearings to speak out about issues.


Celebrate success as business owners

We should celebrate our success as business owners and remember that people count on our ability to be successful.  We provide jobs and quality childcare.  We support our communities and local organizations.  We care deeply about our employees and want them to be successful, too.  And let’s remember that we, as well as our employees, pay taxes that help to run our government and to fund projects around the state.

 


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