1. ARIZONA CHILD CARE
ASSOCIATION
From Classrooms to the
Capitol
The Voice of Private Child
Care Centers

2. WELCOME
2011 Annual Meeting
James Emch – ACCA President
Valley Child Care and Learning Centers &
Cactus Preschools
Bill Berk – ACCA Vice President
Outer Limits School

3. ACCA Board 2011-2012
• James Emch - Valley Child Care & Cactus Preschools
• Bill Berk - Outer Limits School
• Robert Orsi - Sunrise Preschools and Tots Unlimited
• Don DeWitt – Guiding Light School
• Jeannie Chao - Creative Beginnings, Desert Skies, Kids'
Village, and Small World Preschools
• Kathy Halter – KinderCare
• Chris Soto - Sun Tykes and Kids Corner Preschool
• Bonnie Taylor – Learning Care Group:
ChildTime, Tutor Time, and La Petite Academy
• Harolyn Tussing - All Together Now
• Mary Sue Watson - Premier and Children's Campus
• Mark Werber - Tots Unlimited

4. ACCA ANNUAL MEETING
MAJOR SPONSORS
Association for Supportive Child Care
Southwest Human Development
Rio Salado College
Slater Insurance

5. PARTICIPATING VENDORS
• CompuPay
• Discovery Toys
• Epicurean Foods
• Kaplan Early Learning
• Lakeshore Learning
• TAPI – The Arizona Partnership for
Immunization
• The Ear Foundation of Arizona - BASICS
(Building A Screening Infrastructure for
Children’s Success)

6. Past Year Successes
• Increased civic participation and advocacy
• No on 302! – Overwhelming FTF support
• Children removed from waiting list (temp)
• Media and increased Public Awareness
• FTF Access and Affordability
• Grant to update Essential Orientation
• Strengthened Partnerships

7. Arizona Early Care and Learning
Challenges
• Economy
• AZ Unemployment Rate 9.3%
• State Revenue Increasing, but…
• “Cliff Effect”
• State Debt
• State Agency Cuts – cumulative effect

8. ACCA PRIORITIES and ACTIONS
• State Child Care Funding
• Quality and the Early Childhood System
• Regulation and Fees
• Professional and Technical Support

9. DES Subsidy – 3 Years of Cuts
• Rates among lowest in nation
• Co-pays unrealistic
• Denial list continues - 6,937 October 7th
• No General Fund!
• $85 million – a 42% cut
• 5,000 fewer children by June – 50% cut
• 3,000 teacher jobs lost

10. Arizona Child Care Subsidy - February 2009 through June 2012
50000
45000
40000
35000
Number of Children Served
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
09
10
11
12
09
10
11
12
09
09
10
10
11
11
9
0
1
2
9
0
1
r- 0
r- 1
r- 1
r- 1
-0
-1
-1
n-
n-
n-
n-
b-
b-
b-
b-
g-
c-
g-
c-
g-
c-
ct
ct
ct
Ap
Ap
Ap
Ap
Ju
Ju
Ju
Ju
Fe
Fe
Fe
Fe
Au
De
Au
De
Au
De
O
O
O
Total Subsidy Estimate Low Income Working Estimate

11. Actions and Goal
• Begin to restore
• ACCA Letter to Governor
• ACTION - Develop legislative champions,
weigh in with elected officials, and
generate public support.
• Ultimate Goal – Fully restore the program
and make rates current

12. Quality of Care and the Early
Childhood System
• Scholarships and Pre-K
• Quality First – Incentives and Ratings
• TEACH & Professional Reward$
• Technical Assistance & Consultation
• Health and family support services
• ACTION – Get involved and work with
your Regional Council (s)

13. DHS Licensing & Fees
• DHS EMPOWER Discount (fees still high)
• Impact of economy on facilities and capacity
• CPS clearances as a universal requirement
ACTIONS
1. Follow up on DHS fee study and keep
policy makers informed
2. Continue coordination with Licensure
3. Assist members to meet regulations

14. Professional and Technical Support
• Training
• Topical Forums
• Expand Professional Development
opportunities
• Problem solving
• ACCA wants to hear from you!

15. STATE and NATIONAL
PERSPECTIVES
Clarence Carter, Director, Arizona
Department of Economic Security (DES)
Will Humble, Director, Arizona Department
of Health Services (DHS)
Eric Karolak, Executive Director
Early Care and Education Consortium
Rhian Allvin, Chief Executive Officer
First Things First

16. Early Care and Education
Consortium (ECEC) Partnership
• National Alliance For-Profit and Non-Profit
• Voice to Shape Public Policy in DC
• Members 7,500 centers in 50 states
• Members serve 1 million children
• VISIT www.ececonsortium.org
• SIGN UP for e-mails

17. ECEC Partnership
• Federal Policy & You
• The Scene in DC
• Updates: funding, policy, regulations

18. ECEC Partnership: Updates
• Funding
– Appropriations process broke again: stopgap
funding through Nov. 18
– Budget Control Act: “Super” Committee to
report Nov. 23
– Threat of cuts – intentional or across the
board

19. ECEC Partnership: Updates
• Policy
– K-12 law: ESEA reauthorization
– Child Care: CCDBG “reform”
– Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge
• Regulation
– Office of Child Care guidance
– CPSC standard requires replacement of all
cribs by 12/28/12

20. WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON?
• Continued Risk to Public Funding
• Higher expectations
• Opportunities
• Complexity
• Partners
• ACCA - Sustained effort, long term

21. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
SUPPORT
www.azcca.org