National Child Care Association

10/08/2026

The National Child Care Association extends our sincere thanks to Child Care Aware of America for inviting us to be part of their panel of early care and education practitioners at this week’s Leadership Institute in Kansas City, Missouri!

Those who are on the front lines of child care, caring for and educating children every day, supporting families, leading programs, and navigating the realities of operating child care businesses—bring a perspective that is essential to the conversation.

If we want real solutions, we must include the people doing the work! We look forward to continuing this meaningful collaboration and working together to identify solutions that strengthen the early care and education system and better support the dedicated professionals who provide care and education to the children of working families.

Because when we listen to those doing the work, learn from their experiences, and bring their voices to the table, we have a much better opportunity to create solutions that truly work!

09/23/2026

Join NCCA & Early Care and Education Consortium TODAY, at 2PM EST to discuss federal updates, major state changes, tax bills on the table for quality child care. Find out how you can advocate for sustainable improvements in this industry.

Join the call: https://bit.ly/4expD4q

The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation - NECPA
National Administrator Credential (NAC)
Certified Childcare Professional (CCP)

09/23/2026

09/22/2026

🚗 Child passenger safety can save lives and prevention starts with the right information.

Join NCCA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA tomorrow for a timely webinar with Laura Dunn, NHTSA’s Child Passenger Safety Subject Matter Expert, covering practical strategies to help keep children safe in and around vehicles.

You’ll learn:
→ Top child passenger safety tips
→ Pediatric vehicular heatstroke prevention strategies
→ Trusted NHTSA resources for programs, educators, and families

Don’t miss it! 🔗 Register now: https://bit.ly/4At7r8c

08/31/2026

Farm to CACFP is more than gardening.

It also includes serving local foods, offering taste tests, visiting farmers markets, reading farm-themed books, cooking with children and teaching where food comes from. Every activity helps connect children with healthy foods in meaningful ways.

No matter your budget or program size, there are simple ways to get involved. Explore the Rooted in Community resource at https://www.cacfp.org/assets/pdf/Rooted+in+Community+cacfp.org/ for even more Farm to CACFP ideas, then learn more at cacfp.org/farmtocacfpweek.

Which Farm to CACFP activity have you tried?

08/19/2026

Don’t wait for a citation to reveal the gaps. Come learn how to find them first! 🔍

Join NCCA and Ronnae Williams, The State Lady®, today at 1 PM EST/ 12 PM CST for a practical session focused on identifying hidden compliance risks before they become licensing findings.

Attendees will learn how to:
✅ Identify common compliance gaps in otherwise high-quality programs
✅ Recognize how communication, training, supervision, and documentation impact compliance
✅ Spot areas where assumptions may be creating risk
✅ Strengthen systems and accountability before issues become licensing findings

Register now and join us TODAY! 👉 https://bit.ly/3Sk47uX

08/12/2026

Join our friends at Teaching Strategies for their 2nd Annual Private Child Care Leadership Summit on August 19th!

This FREE virtual event has been created for child care owners and directors who want to strengthen program quality, grow enrollment, and build long-term sustainability.

The afternoon will feature practical insights from industry leaders, including:

🔥 The Quality Advantage — a fireside chat with Marquita Davis, former Chief Academic Officer at KinderCare, and Mike Derezin, CEO of Teaching Strategies.
👨‍👩‍👧 What Families Look For (and How to Stand Out) with Laura Bilbrey, Teaching Strategies.
💛 Building a Program Teachers Don’t Leave with Beth Cannon, Early Education Leadership Coach & Strategist
📈 Sharpening Your Competitive Edge with Tuscany Strategy Consulting
⭐ The Return on Investing in Quality — a closing panel featuring private child care leaders

Whether you’re focused on quality, staffing, enrollment, or strengthening your competitive edge, this summit is packed with ideas you can put into action.

Register now to reserve your spot and explore the full agenda:
👉 https://bit.ly/4i5KocW

08/07/2026

Even experienced directors and dedicated teams can unknowingly create compliance risks when assumptions replace accountability or when written processes no longer match what is actually happening in the classroom.

Join NCCA and Ronnae Williams, The State Lady®, for a practical session focused on identifying hidden compliance risks before they become licensing findings.

Attendees will learn how to:
✅ Identify common compliance gaps in otherwise high-quality programs
✅ Recognize how communication, training, supervision, and documentation impact compliance
✅ Spot areas where assumptions may be creating risk
✅ Strengthen systems and accountability before issues become licensing findings

Don’t wait for a citation to reveal the gaps. Come learn how to find them first! 🔍

Register today and join us live! 👉 https://bit.ly/3Sk47uX

08/07/2026

Join ​o​ur friends at the Child Care Directors Chair for the The Early Education Empowerment Conference Virtual Summit, September 16, 2026!

​This will be a FREE, fully virtual day of learning, connection, and inspiration created specifically for early education leaders.

We’re especially excited that NCCA Director​, Cindy Lehnhoff will be among the outstanding national speakers sharing their expertise, practical strategies, and encouragement to help owners and directors begin the year with greater clarity, confidence, and strong systems in place​!

Tag a director, owner, or early education leader who should join us​ and register today​!

👉 https://eceempowermentconference.com/

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08/07/2026

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), formally titled “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs,” was released this morning and is expected to be formally published in the Federal Register tomorrow, August 7, 2026: https://hubs.la/Q04s9Y630

Today, NHSA set out the principles by which we will judge the proposed rewrite of the Head Start Program Performance Standards, one of the most significant revisions of the program’s governing regulations in its 61-year history: https://hubs.la/Q04s9P960

Note: If you have any issues accessing the link, please try copying and pasting it into a separate browser window.