From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
It’s been so hard to take a minute to breathe lately, the news and the state of the world seem to be so overwhelming and stressful, making our lives even more overwhelming than normal.
Go to https://action.momsrising.org/sign/Child_care_reconciliation to tell U.S. Senators: We’re trying to juggle the impossible and need a comprehensive, affordable, high-quality child care and Pre-K system for our families!
The truth is, as much as the news cycle and even our daily lives can be a grind, many of the struggles we face today are ongoing issues. It’s been coming to a head now because we shouldn’t have had to face so many things on our own, all at the same time, with no or little support for so long. As parents especially, we carry so many societal burdens directly on our backs as many of us try to work, raise kids, keep everyone healthy, keep a roof over our heads, afford food, take care of our elders. It is just too much.
As the coverage of conflict abroad fills our news channels and timelines, only breaking our hearts further, our nation is gearing up to provide critical support for defense overseas. We understand we must support our friends abroad, especially those who are in harm’s way. We recognize that this is crucial, but did you know that in the past, even during difficult economic times and crises, the U.S. not only found the resources needed to avoid further crisis, but they ALSO prioritized AND paid for investments in child care! In fact, just this past week was the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan, which included nearly $40 billion to provide relief to families and the child care sector, on top of the previous child care relief funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRSSA). [2] These pieces of legislation helped prevent nearly 75,000 permanent child care closures, saving more than 3 million spots for young children who need care and education [3] during an unprecedented global pandemic. As we hopefully near the end of this particular historic crisis, let’s not return our families back to the long-running child care crisis that some lawmakers are refusing to address.
So we know that WE have the will to push to make this difference in child care access and affordability, but what is the way to get there right now? Right now, Congress is working on the Building a Better America plan, which should include critical child care and Pre-K investments needed to solve the ongoing child care crisis. [4]
That means that RIGHT NOW (again…) is a critical time to amp up the pressure and make sure child care isn’t left out of this new plan. We know we have been asking you to speak up so much lately, but we can’t let leaders forget even for one minute how much our families need a solution to the child care crisis.
What we do know is that families (and our businesses and economy) NEED child care, universal pre-k, the Child Tax Credit, paid family and medical leave, and more.
There is so much going on right now, all of it heartbreaking, and unfortunately the news is not going to get better without HELP. Did you know that a recent report shows that nearly half a million families are estimated to be stranded without reliable child care, exacerbating the nation’s worker shortage as parents continue to stay home? [5] This is after an unprecedented global pandemic that our families and our economy still need to recover from. The kicker to all of this is that already, pre-pandemic, more than 1/2 of families lived in child care deserts without safe, nurturing, affordable options to begin with. [6]
We have the resources, we just need the political will to do the right thing. You are a critical part of pushing that paradigm. Keep taking action, share your story, bring others with you, keep rising with us, and we know together, we can make child care and pre-k a reality for all of our families as a permanent solution, and not a fleeting footnote in history.
P.S.– We need to hear from you to keep up the drumbeat for comprehensive, affordable, high-quality child care and Pre-K system, share your child care story now!
References:
[1][2][3] https://tcf.org/content/commentary/three-million-child-care-spots-saved-american-rescue-plan-funding/ [4] https://budget.house.gov/publications/fact-sheet/budget-reconciliation-basics [5] https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/01/economy/child-care-wells-fargo-labor-force/index.html [6] https://www.americanprogress.org/article/americas-child-care-deserts-2018/
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