CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE


                              PROCLAMATION

                        PROVIDER APPRECIATION DAY
                               MAY 7, 2021
WHEREAS, Child Care Aware® of America and other organizations nationwide are recognizing
Child Care Providers on this day; and

WHEREAS, an estimated 12.8 million children under the age of six nationwide spend some time
in a non-parental care arrangement on a weekly basis, which provides critical enrichment
opportunities and nurtures development for children of all backgrounds and is a vital building block
of our state economy; and

WHEREAS, Childcare providers, mostly women and many women of color, have long been
essential to families in our community and our local economy, with little recognition for their labor
and skill; and

WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has created tremendous hardship for childcare providers
during a global pandemic and an economic crisis in addition to a national reckoning on race; and

WHEREAS, Childcare providers in the greater Charlottesville area have continued to meet the
needs of families in their centers and homes while risking their health and financial stability to
remain open; and

WHEREAS, Childcare providers in centers and family day homes stepped in to support children in
remote learning situations, doing all they could to provide space and supports for school-aged
children; and

WHEREAS, our future depends on the quality of the early childhood experiences provided to
young children today; high quality early childcare services represent a worthy commitment to our
children's future.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that I, Nikuyah Walker, Mayor of the City of
Charlottesville, on behalf of City Council, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2021 as Provider Appreciation
Day in Charlottesville, Virginia, and urge all citizens to recognize Child Care Providers for their
important work.

Signed and sealed this 17th day of May 2021.



                                                   _______________________________
                                                   Nikuyah Walker, Mayor