[Minneapolis, MN] – First Children’s Finance (FCF) is proud to announce the appointment of Heidi Hagel-Braid as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Heidi is only the second CEO in the nonprofit’s 33-year history, succeeding founder Jerry Cutts, who retired in September 2024. This appointment follows an extensive nationwide search led by the Cohen … Continued
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many of the difficulties already present in the State of Alaska’s child care systems. the State of Alaska engaged First Children’s Finance to consult with the state’s Child Care Program Office (CCPO) to support its planning around COVID-19 related relief funding for the child care subsidy system. With the help of … Continued
Data shows Tribal Nations are experiencing a child care crisis impacting the health and success of all aspects of Tribal Nations. According to a recent study, 77% of unemployed Native American households reported a lack of child care influenced their decision not to work. First Children’s Finance (FCF) believes an intervention is needed in which … Continued
FCF Founder Jerry Cutts to Retire as President and CEO First Children’s Finance President and CEO Jerry Cutts – who has been on personal leave since April 2024 – has announced he is retiring after 33 years. Since Jerry founded FCF in 1991, his work and commitment have changed and improved countless lives. Jerry has … Continued
In September, First Children’s Finance hosted an in-person convening of the ECE Business Collaboratory. The Collaboratory brought together three cohorts of state teams for multiple days of presentations, connections to national thought leaders, and dedicated time to collaborate and share learnings regarding progress to support a systemic approach to addressing the business side of child … Continued
First Children’s Finance is partnering with native nations and tribal communities to address their shortages of child care. FCF partnered with Indigenous Visioning, a native-owned organization that empowers tribal communities, to create the First Children First Nations Child Care Collaborative (FCFN). FCFN is designed to empower tribal communities and native nations to increase the … Continued
First Children’s Finance is proud to announce the addition of two new states to the ECE Business Collaboratory: Hawaii and Maine. The Collaboratory’s roster of states includes Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, D.C., along with our most recent additions to the programs, the states … Continued
First Children’s Finance and Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Establish Partnership to Build Child Care Supply First Children’s Finance, a national leader in child care business development and financing, along with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families have announced a partnership to launch the Project Growth: Dream Up! grant program. This initiative … Continued
First Children’s Finance is proud to announce the addition of two new states to the ECE Business Collaboratory: Louisiana and Washington, D.C.! The global pandemic has heightened the need for states to have visionary plans to address the business side of child care. There’s never been a better time to learn best practices, assess existing … Continued
First Children’s Finance announced today that Ericka Warmack, CPA, SSGB, has been named as the Director of National Lending. As the Director of National Lending, Ericka will increase access to financing for child care entrepreneurs. In her new role, Ericka will lead the FCF Loan Fund team and its strategies to ensure child care businesses have … Continued
The First Children’s Finance National Team was invited to present a session for the 2021 Nebraska ELEVATE conference which will be available for viewing for registered ELEVATE participants on June 5, 2021. FCF’s session, titled Show Me the Money, highlights the forms of financial resources (also known as “financial capital”) available to child care businesses … Continued
First Children’s Finance is excited to announce the promotion of several staff members to new roles within the organization. FCF is pleased to announce Tiffany Grant has been promoted to the position of Business Development Manager for the Metro region on the Minnesota Team. Tiffany is currently a Business Development Specialist and has been with … Continued
In January 2021, First Children’s Finance, in collaboration with the DHHS Administration for Children and Families, and the Office of Child Care, presented a national webinar to designed to assist child care centers complete an application for Payroll Protection Loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. As of today, more than 5,500 people have watched our … Continued