What We Do
The Appalachian Early Childhood Network provides professional development and advocacy efforts that support young children, their families, and the early childhood professionals that serve them.
Training
AECN provides practical, affordable, and high-quality training for early childhood professionals in Appalachia.
Technical Assistance
AECN offers technical assistance through mentoring and coaching, including start up support for family child care homes. As part of the Family Child Care Network of Kentucky, AECN has 2 Family Child Care Specialists to serve you. Sonya Begley in the Cumberland Region and Tonya Lambert in the Eastern Mountain Region will soon be contacting you once the transition from Child Care Aware to The Family Child Care Network is complete!
Advocacy
AECN focuses on working for change in early childhood care and education by advocating for child care professionals, children, and families at the local, state, and national levels.
Training
AECN provides practical, high quality, and affordable training options that meet your individual and group needs. We offer the Child Development Associate (CDA) and Commonwealth Child Care Credential, as well as regulatory training requirements.
Technical Assistance
AECN provides support to those interested in opening a family child care home. We have tools and resources to help you get started!
Advocacy
Making sure we all have a seat at the table
AECN is proud to advocate for you – families, children, and providers in the Appalachian Region. Along with our partners, we ensure YOUR voices are heard when decisions are being made.

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Areas We Serve
We proudly serve the Eastern Mountain and Cumberland Regions represented in yellow on the map.
