The Ounce’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread and impact lives across the country, the Ounce is working to ensure the safety and health of our staff and the children and families we serve. As such, the Ounce is currently operating as a fully remote workforce at all Ounce locations. We have also closed our early learning programs in Chicago. We will continue to adapt our response as the situation grows and changes.

We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure that our children and parents can continue to thrive during this unprecedented time. As schools, businesses and providers are forced to close their doors due to the COVID-19 outbreak, too many under-resourced families do not have proper access to essential resources they rely on. We have immediately provided our Chicago families with gift cards for essential needs, but we estimate this will require $100 per family per week for the next two months, totaling $168,000.

Please help us reach our goal and support those most in need during this crisis.

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We need you to take action

Census 2020: Needed now more than ever

What you can do to make sure every child gets counted

Even during these uncertain times, completing the 2020 Census and making sure every child is counted is imperative. In 2010, nearly 1 million children under the age of 5 were undercounted, and many of those children are from under-resourced communities. Unfortunately, during times of crisis, the most vulnerable are even more vulnerable, which means that even more children may go uncounted.

The government uses Census data to determine community resource needs, and an accurate count is critical to ensuring adequate funding for early education and the supports and services our families rely on.

Find out ways to spread the word about the importance of the Census and help ensure every child gets counted.

Advocating for families impacted by COVID-19

The Ounce's policy team takes action during this crisis

The Ounce and its partners are closely monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation at federal, state and local levels. Through these partnerships, we are continuously developing and advocating for policy recommendations that support early education providers and under-resourced families affected by the health crisis.

In addition, to-date, we have signed on to more than eight letters to federal and state legislators requesting significant attention to and investments in our country’s young children, their families and the early education field. Our Policy team will continue to provide updates on our policy recommendations and helpful information and resources to families, providers and partners on our social channels and website.

Read two of the Ounce’s recent letters to Congress.

The childcare crisis is solvable, if we pay attention to what works

BLOG: Ounce Policy expert explores innovative policy solutions

Access to affordable, high-quality care for infants and toddlers is beyond the reach of too many families across the country. And this challenge will only continue to get worse due to the impact of COVID-19. Policymakers are finally starting to pay attention to the national child care crisis, but more must be done to encourage lawmakers to invest in early childhood.

Kristin Bernhard, senior vice president of advocacy and policy at the Ounce, shares her thoughts on how innovative policy solutions, like the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, can improve the affordability, access and quality of infant-toddler care around the country.

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Make your time at home storytime

5 tips to develop children’s early language and literacy skills

In the coming weeks and months, parents, grandparents and other relatives may be taking on a more significant role in the education and early learning experiences of children. We know this can feel overwhelming, but these insights from our early learning experts can help break down how to make the most of story time.

Check out these 5 early literacy tips that will help develop children’s language and literacy skills and provide a strong start to their learning journey.

The Ounce of Prevention Fund gives children in poverty the best chance for success in school and in life by advocating for and providing the highest-quality care and education from birth to age five.

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