The Children’s Trust and US Department of Defense (DoD) are partnering to expand access to military families in need of high-quality child care opportunities for their children. The Trust’s Thrive by 5 initiative continues to be a state-wide model when it comes to early childhood development and many Trust-funded child care providers will now be part of the DoD’s Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood Plus (MCCYN-Plus) program that provides off-installation child care for military families in Miami-Dade.
The Children’s Trust recognizes the importance of early brain development and its impact on later life success and invests in strategies to support young children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional readiness for starting school. By partnering with The Trust, the DoD can connect military families with a provider network whose quality standards are higher than the minimum licensing requirements.
“For our existing child care providers, this partnership has multiple benefits,” said James R. Haj, president & CEO of The Children’s Trust. “First and foremost, it helps military families provide the best possible early learning opportunities for their children, while also enabling our providers to expand access to participants, further ensuring the economic viability of their programs. This is the definition of a win-win for everyone. “
“For military families, this comprehensive expansion means they will have more quality child care options available at subsidized rates in most U.S. locations,” explained Mr. Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “Civilian providers participating in their state’s quality improvement program may also benefit from other state offered incentives such as technical assistance, which provides customized support from subject matter experts, and/or financial incentives for professional development training, national accreditation costs and background check processing.”
In Miami, Thrive By 5 child care centers are ready and eager to provide military families with high-quality services that will help support later in life success for children.
“Every child deserves a high-quality education, no matter the economic status or family background,” said Shawntravia Pointville, president & CEO of Excel Kids Academy in Miami Gardens, a Thrive By 5 Provider. “Families of service are especially appreciated as their work is the foundation of the American Dream. We thank The Children’s Trust’s Thrive by 5 initiative for their support to access and opportunities for the children and families of Miami Dade County. The work of early education and intervention works when we work together.”
For more information about Thrive By 5, visit www.TheChildrensTrust.org/Thrive-by-5. For information on signing up for the MCCYN-Plus program, visit https://www.childcareaware.org/fee-assistancerespite/feeassistancerespiteproviders/qris-mccyn-plus/