PORTSMOUTH- Childcare is important in a country where most parents work to provide for their home and the future of their children. Not only is it hotly debated in state and federal budget meetings, discussed in length on local levels, and constantly a topic of consideration in elections, but it is something that impact nearly every home in America with children.

Recently, an event was held for childcare center staff, in which a dozen administrators participated, to decompress and come together.

The event was an early childhood leadership collaboration meeting for area childcare center administrative staff. The event was sponsored by the Geehan Group.

“They wanted to thank the educators in the community for all of their hard work and dedication they bring to the table day in and out,” Roots Childcare Center Founder Misty Luther explained. “The Geehan Group assists childcare centers in obtaining grants for air purifiers for their centers.”

According to Luther, the event was organized to assemble local childcare center administration, so they could decompress, collaborate, and build an alliance together to support each other in the efforts of caring for the young children in the community.

COAD 4 Kids staff were present and offered assistance with all areas of childcare center operations, including mental health support in collaboration with Hopewell Health Centers. COAD 4 Kids offers an array of assistance for educators in childcare.

“Roots Child Care Centers will be taking advantage of mental health services as well as hosting parent cafes,” Luther said. “Quality childcare is extremely important in our community. Parents need to work and it is imperative they have somewhere reliable where they can take their children. Many centers in our community are full and have a waiting list for infant and toddler care and it is critical to initiate that quality care for the child since the brain develops the most during the birth to five-year-old time frame. That early brain development impacts a child’s ability to learn.”

Overall, the group discussed air filtration grants, training opportunities, stabilization grant reconciliations, quality guidelines, new grant opportunities, mental health options, parent cafes, and administrative support.

Luther explained the event was held at the Den in New Boston, thanks to Logan Copley.

“Logan Copley and The Den were awesome in letting us utilize the amazing patio area for our event with fantastic food,” Luther said. “It was essential that we had an environment that allowed for people to feel like they were out of the office and could relax while building these alliances. The Den was great to us and really helped set the stage for our after-hours networking. These opportunities are vital for our childcare business community to come together and share ideas and we couldn’t be any happier in where we are to move forward.”