About the Crisis Response Coalition
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On April 22, 2020, the board of directors for the Virginia Alliance for Family Child Care voted to form a coalition to support family child care (FCC) business owners as they cope with the unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
From its beginning, the vision of the Coalition has been to bring together the vast array of stakeholders that impact the success of FCC business owners. While much of the focus to date has been on maintaining the availability of safe, high-quality child care for Virginia residents, the Coalition recognizes that the over two thousand family child care providers in the state are also over two thousand small, mostly women-owned businesses. Their survival affects not only the availability of child care but the economic engine of their communities.
The Coalition is working to bring in stakeholders from across the state who represent a diversity of interests, but all agree on the necessity to both sustain and grow high-quality FCC business in the Commonwealth.
As of late May, the Coalition has moved far and quickly. We have established the following goals for our initiative.
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Help FCC business owners find and/or utilize the information and resources they need to cope with near term challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Help FCC business owners prepare to be successful once the pandemic is no longer a threat.
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Enhance the cooperation and collaboration among the myriad of agencies and organizations in the Commonwealth that seek to support and connect FCC business owners.
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Continually refine our efforts to support FCC business owners and partners as we develop a better understanding of the need.
These goals are distilled in the mission of our initiative: through a dedicated network, provide reliable information and resources to empower our diverse FCC providers to survive and thrive through and beyond COVID 19.
Structure of the Coalition
The Coalition is organized around various teams with specific areas of responsibility, guided by the Coalition Steering Committee.
Steering Committee
Cheryl Morman, VAFCCA President, FCC Business Owner (FCCBO)
Sonnia Jones, VAFCCA Treasurer, FCCBO
Julie Payne, VAFCCA Board member, HeadStart Teacher
Bill Hudson, VAFCCA Board member, Project Lead, Family Child Care Associates
Teams
Communications
Team Purpose: To create and maintain communication channels that enable two-way communications between the Coalition, FCC business owners across the state, and other stakeholders/potential partners.
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Emergency Financial Support
Team Purpose: To insure ensure information about federal, state, local, and private sources of financial support for FCC business owners is distributed to all business owners. To facilitate support for FCC business owners that need assistance in getting access to financial support grants, loans, etc.
Local Associations and State Agencies
Team Purpose: To engage and maintain relationships with family child care associations in the state. To keep the Coalition, FCC business owners and partners informed about new programs created by the state, as well as potential changes to state regulations and programs that could impact FCC business owners.
Resource Mapping
Team Purpose: To ensure information about relevant federal, state, local, and private sources of support is distributed to all FCC business owners across the state.
Safe Operations
Team Purpose: Ensure FCC business owners have what they need to operate as safely as possible in an environment where the Coronavirus is a threat.
Success 2022 and Advocacy
Team Purpose: Work to determine what needs to happen in Virginia over the next 24 months for FCC business owners to be successful in the fall of 2022. To coordinate advocacy with local, state, and national organizations to support the work of Crisis Response Coalition Teams.
Please Join Us
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The Coalition is actively looking for partners and supporters for our effort. We are recruiting FCC business owners, FCC association leaders, as well as local, state and national agencies and organizations that are interested in: child care, economic development, public health, small business development, and workforce development.
As new partners join our effort, we hope they will enhance our work, refine our efforts and, in the end, help ensure that family child care businesses across the Commonwealth not only survive the pandemic but are positioned to succeed in a post-COVID-19 world.
Please do not hesitate to contact either VAFCCA President, Cheryl Morman, or Project Lead, Bill Hudson, for additional information.