On Saturday, March 4, the First Annual Forum of the Bay Area Professional Family Child Care Network was held at First 5 Contra Costa. The event titled “Promoting Advocacy Within Family Child Care” was well attended by family child care providers, early childhood leaders, and several elected city officials.
The morning began with a Keynote presentation from Ruth Fernández, Ed.D., Executive Director at First 5 Contra Costa titled Finding Your Voice: Igniting the Advocate Within You! “It is so inspiring to see so many home grown child care leaders leading the way for other Family Child Care professionals in the Bay Area and in the State,” shared Ruth. “Family Child Care providers remained open during the pandemic to care for children of many essential workers when so many programs were closing; yet, they are often the unsung heroes in our communities.”
Presentations and discussions throughout the day included The Lasting Legacy of Black Women Child Caregiving, Housing Protections fro Family Child Care Providers, Storytelling Regarding Diversity and Inclusion, Building Power for Change, and Building Emotional Fitness.
Organizations and agencies in attendance and represented included the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, California Department of Social Services, Child Care Law Center, National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), Diablo Valley College, Coco Kids, City of Concord, Tandem, Sonia Singh International, and many more.
For more than 20 years, First 5 Contra Costa has invested in the development of Contra Costa’s child care providers to support and advance their education and growth as experts and leaders in early childhood. We look forward to continuing our advocacy in partnership with the Bay Area Professional Family Child Care Network, our partners across Contra Costa County, and sharing future events to strengthen the early childhood community.
About the Bay Area Professional Family Child Care Network:
The Bay Area Professional Family Child Care Network is a non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting family child care providers of Contra Costa County reach higher standards consistent with current research in the early care and education field by providing resources, information and training to enhance a safe and healthy home environment for children and families. Our organization is also a vehicle for developing a sense of community among family child care providers by promoting peer support and camaraderie through various programs and activities.
