Children

NPR - Caregivers and child care are a vital part of the economy, whether paid or not. Child care can look different for many families, with informal arrangements allowing millions of parents to be able to go to work. Kith and Kin is a program in Arizona that teaches mothers, grandmothers, aunts, friends and neighbors who watch other people's children the skills they need to provide care. The pandemic showed how fragile the child care industry is, as well as the need for policymakers and businesses to ensure access to affordable, high-quality child care.

➡️ A previous study, which led to the launch of the program, found that over half the children in the south Phoenix area from birth to 5 years old were being cared for outside of a licensed childcare setting.
➡️ Immigrant communities and communities of color, where many parents hold jobs with nontraditional hours, tend to utilize informal caregiving as an option and prefer caregivers who share language and culture. 
➡️ Kith and Kin's 12-week program aims to provide the kind of training and help required of licensed caregivers. This includes CPR and child development topics.
➡️ The state pays for the program using its tobacco tax. Around 1,000 caregivers are trained each year. Melinda Gulick, CEO of Arizona’s early childhood agency First Things First, says the funding is recognition that all children, regardless of where they spend their first years, deserve a high-quality early childhood experience.