America's Children and Youth
The lack of affordable, accessible, and
high-quality child care, school-age care,
and teen programs has a negative effect on
current and future educational attainment
and employment for
parents and children, the nation's economy and
family income, and physical and emotional environments in
which people live.
NIFA provides resources and program leadership
to the Cooperative Extension System (CES)
that enhances a nationwide response to challenges
facing American children, youth, and families.
CES, through the “Extension ‘CARES'...For
America's Children and Youth National Initiative,” is
focusing new and existing resources in working
toward a vision that all children and youth
are in safe, healthy, caring, and enriching
environments when away from their parents.
Improve early childhood, school-age, and
teen programs by linking the teaching, research,
education, technology, and 4-H youth development
expertise of USDA with the 105 land-grant
universities and the county and regional
extension offices in local communities across
Increase the quality, affordability, accessibility,
availability, and sustainability of child care,
school-age care, and teen out-of-school programs
through federal, state, and local partnerships
that tap the expertise and assets of local
The Sub-goals Include:
- Improve program staff and home-based
providers' ability to offer high-quality
care, education, and developmental experiences
for children and youth.
- Improve the quality of child care, school-age
care, and teen out-of-school settings.
- Improve families' abilities to better
support their children in out-of-home programs.
- Improve community and state supports
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