What Every Parent Needs to Know About Child Care in America (but Might be Afraid to Ask)

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Every year, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) conducts research on the state of child care in America, as well as surveys about the perceptions of parents who purchase that care. Looking at the same system through these two lenses reveals a fractured picture of disparity between what parents believe is being done to protect their children while they are in child care and the reality of child care regulations and oversight in our country. Join NACCRRA’s Executive Director, Linda Smith to connect the dots between child care funding, legislation, licensing, regulation, and the ultimate impact on your child’s child care setting. Learn more about how you can begin new dialog about child care quality.

Linda K. Smith is the Executive Director of NACCRRA and is considered one of the country’s leading experts on child care in America. Frequently called upon by the nation’s leading media outlets for interviews and guidance, Ms. Smith spearheads all of the research and public policy efforts at NACCRRA. Prior to joining NACCRRA, as a staffer on Capitol Hill, she worked on children and family issues, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act (TANF) and the drafting of the Early Care and Education Act. Ms. Smith also served as the Director of the Office of Family Policy for the Secretary of Defense. Smith was the lead policy expert responsible for implementing the landmark Military Child Care Act of 1989, and worked for the United States Army, the United States Air Force, the University of Wyoming and spent five years directing early care and education programs in Montana.