FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Weaver, Melony Ritter
(501) 760.6410 office
press@np.edu
June 30, 2016
CHILD CARE AWARE RECEIVES VROOM GRANT
Hot Springs, Arkansas – National Park College’s (NPC) Child Care Aware of West Central Arkansas (CCAWCA) was selected as one of 10 sites in the United States to be a part of Child Care Aware® of America’s Vroom initiative.
The Vroom initiative, sponsored by the Bezos Family Foundation, helps parents across the country promote brain development in children birth to 5 years old. Vroom provides interactive tools and resources in both Spanish and English that highlight the science behind early brain development, showing parents how they can turn activities like bath time and meal time into opportunities that build their children’s brains. The Daily Vroom app provides short activities that fit into a family’s daily routine and is free to download at www.joinvroom.org.
The selected sites below will use Vroom to bolster their work with families in innovative ways, reaching hundreds of thousands of parents with brain building messages and nurturing parent-child interaction with new tools. Child Care Resource and Referral agencies sites adopting Vroom are:
- Childcare Resources Birmingham (Alabama)
- Child Care Aware® of West Central Arkansas (Arkansas)
- Child Care Resource Center (California)
- Florida Office of Early Learning (Florida)
- Child Care Resources, Incorporated (Montana)
- Southern New Hampshire Services Child Care Resource and Referral (New Hampshire)
- Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council, Incorporated (New York)
- Child Care Council, Inc. (New York)
- Child Care Connection, a program of Info Line, Incorporated (Ohio)
- Corporation of Ohio Appalachian Development (Ohio)
"We're thrilled to see such a diverse mix of child care programs and providers integrating Vroom," said Jackie Bezos, President and Co-founder of the Bezos Family Foundation. “More than 11 million children under the age of five are in some form of child care. It’s one of the most important decisions a parent can make. This partnership will help strengthen the relationship between child care providers and families by putting brain building language and tools at the center of both environments."
CCAWCA Director, Terri Helms said, “We are honored to be chosen as one of 10 nationwide Vroom Brain Building Ambassadors to distribute resources to Arkansas child care providers and families.”
CCAWCA plans to share Vroom resources with child care providers in their 10 county
region, statewide Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, families and the community.
So far, they have mailed and delivered resources to 220 programs to encourage family
engagement.
LesLee Jones, Director of First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Child Development Center said she sees a struggle with parental involvement. She said, “I think VROOM tools help bridge the gap for parents and help them realize engaging with their child is more simple than they think.”
Pictured: Lisa Couch, CCAWCA Program Coordinator sharing Vroom resource package with FUMC Child Development Center Director, LesLee Jones.
About Child Care Aware® of America
Child Care Aware® of America is the nation’s leading voice for child care. They work with state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) and other community partners to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable child care. To achieve their mission, they lead projects that increase the quality and availability of child care, offer comprehensive training to child care professionals, undertake research, and advocate for child care policies that improve the lives of children and families. To learn more, visit usa.childcareaware.org. Follow them on Twitter @USAChildcare and on Facebook at facebook.com/usachildcare.
About Bezos Family Foundation
The Bezos Family Foundation is a private, independent foundation established by Jackie and Mike Bezos, who along with their children and spouses, serve as directors. Their vision is that all young people are prepared to achieve their full potential and make a meaningful contribution to society. The Bezos Family Foundation supports rigorous, inspired learning environments for young people, from birth though high school, to put their education into action. Through investments in research, public awareness, and programs, the foundation works to elevate the field of education and improve life outcomes for all children. Follow Vroom on Twitter @joinvroom and on Facebook at facebook.com/joinvroom.
