NEW ANALYSIS: Lack of Child Care Impacting Millennial Women Most

A new Center for American Progress analysis of Census Bureau data reveals a growing crisis that will devastate working women as our nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the research released this week, Millennial mothers, who make up the majority of the paid labor force in America, are nearly three times more likely than Millennial fathers to report being unable to work due to COVID-19 related school or child care closures. This not only causes personal financial challenges for women and families, but also has widespread consequences for our nation’s long-term economic recovery.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Millennial parents struggled to balance working from home while caring for and educating their children at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, while millions of others were forced to reduce their hours at work and reduce their expenses. Child care providers were forced to close for an indeterminate amount of time, leaving essential workers — who are disproportionately women of color — to struggle to find safe, available child care for their children.

According to the data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, beginning in April, the number of parents citing child care closures as the main reason for being unable to return to work began increasing to a peak of 38 percent for Millennial mothers in late June and early July, before slightly declining. More than one- third of nonworking Millennial mothers reported “caring for children not in school or [child] care” as their main reason for not working. Millennial fathers on the other hand were nearly three times less likely to choose the lack of child care as their main reason for not working. It is clear that child care responsibilities and the lack of child care availability in America during and after this pandemic are having a negative impact on Millennial mothers’ participation in the labor force, with compounding effects as the pandemic continues.

Research shows that leaving the workforce for even a couple of years impacts a woman’s lifetime earnings, and the growing child care crisis caused by COVID-19 will only exacerbate the gender earnings gap for years to come if we allow the child care industry to collapse. Without a significant investment in child care providers, an estimated 4.5 million licensed child care slots will be permanently lost and working parents will be left with few options as they return to work. Without child care, our economic recovery will be incomplete and working parents — especially mothers — may never fully recover.

Read the full report from the Center for American Progress here.

Working from Home Is Hard. Things Will Be Worse if Congress Lets the Child Care Industry Collapse.

Can You Work from Home with Your Kids Indefinitely?
Parents across the country are struggling to balance full-time work with full-time parenting. But the situation will be far worse if Congress fails to prevent the #childcare industry from collapsing. Experts predict half of the nation’s child care supply will disappear with significant financial relief, leaving parents without options as they’re expected to return to the workplace. Tell Congress to #savechildcare.
Posted by Child Care Relief on Monday, August 3, 2020

Parents across the country are struggling trying to balance full-time work and full-time parenting.

But the situation will be far worse if Congress fails to prevent the #childcare industry from collapsing.

Experts predict half of the nation’s child care supply will disappear with significant financial relief, leaving parents without options as they’re expected to return to the workplace.

Both the House and Senate have proposals to include stabilization funding for the child care industry in the COVID-19 recovery package. There is clear agreement among Republicans and Democrats that the success of America’s economic recovery will be contingent on whether child care providers receive the emergency financial relief they need to stay in business.

None of that matters if Congressional leaders and the White House don’t prioritize child care relief in their final negotiations. Take action!

We’ve reached a make or break moment, and we need your help to make sure your lawmakers are prioritizing child care with House and Senate leadership.

Here’s what we know:

The Senate Republican HEALS Act would provide $15 billion for the child care industry;
And the House passed the Child Care Is Essential Act with bipartisan support, which would provide $50 billion in child care stabilization funding;

But at the end of the day, if Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, and the White House don’t include stabilization funding levels that will keep America’s child care providers in business in the final bill, experts predict half of America’s child care supply will disappear.

Contact your representatives in the House and Senate and ask them to do everything possible in these final hours of negotiation to ensure this relief package includes significant funding to actually save child care before it’s too late.

TAKE ACTION TO #SAVECHILDCARE:

U.S. Chamber Foundation Survey Shows Employers See America’s Child Care Challenges as a Major Hurdle to Recovery

The COVID-19 public health crisis has rapidly shifted how we do business. Seemingly overnight, employers adapted the workplace to keep their employees healthy and follow public health guidance. Video communication was implemented, commutes changed, and working parents faced the reality of full-time childcare and full-time work. Many businesses moved all or part of their workforce to remote work, some were forced to closed operations, and still others were deemed essential. Businesses of every size and industry have been impacted by this pandemic, so employers have had to figure out how to operate a business in an entirely new landscape.

Prior to the pandemic, limited access to affordable, high-quality childcare had significant recruitment and retention costs for employers. As childcare programs have closed or are operating at limited capacity, the impact of this lack of childcare options on employers is even greater. In the fall of 2019, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation conducted a series of surveys, which led to the creation of four reports, referred to as Untapped Potential, to better understand how childcare challenges affect parents’ participation in the workforce, affect employers’ ability to recruit and retain skilled workers, and impact state economies.

Now, several months after this study, working parents are facing new, complicated childcare challenges caused by COVID-19. Parents are trying balance their dual roles with limited to no access to formal childcare or family, friend, or neighbors to help, making childcare an important need for every employer and state to prioritize in their return to work plans.

With that in mind, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has launched a new longitudinal study to understand how childcare challenges affect working parents and their employers in the unprecedented times of COVID-19.

Click here to see the survey findings:

CONTACT CONGRESS: Time is Running Out to #SaveChildCare

Leaders from Capitol Hill and the White House are finalizing the details of the COVID-19 recovery bill, and we need your help to ensure there is enough emergency funding to #savechildcare.

None of that matters if Congressional leaders and the White House don’t prioritize child care relief in their final negotiations. Take action!

We’ve reached a make or break moment, and we need your help to make sure your lawmakers are prioritizing child care with House and Senate leadership.

Here’s what we know:

The Senate Republican HEALS Act would provide $15 billion for the child care industry;
And the House passed the Child Care Is Essential Act with bipartisan support, which would provide $50 billion in child care stabilization funding;

TAKE ACTION TO #SAVECHILDCARE:

Child Care Relief on the Table in House and Senate Negotiations

America needs child care relief to keep the industry afloat during the nation’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The disastrous economic crisis has hit the child care industry especially hard, causing widespread layoffs and closures as a result of catastrophic drops in enrollment.

Recent legislation introduced by Republicans and Democrats show the bipartisan support in Congress for child care relief, but without an adequately funded child care stabilization fund, providers will continue to struggle to keep their doors open to meet the needs of children and families. Here’s a look at recent news coverage and analysis of the nation’s child care crisis.

THE LATEST: The Washington Post Editorial Board called on Congress to rescue the child care industry from the brink of collapse. Citing data from Child Care Relief campaign partners, the op-ed highlighted the dire state of the child care industry, which is largely tuition-funded and struggling with declining enrollment and mandatory closures. With half the industry at risk of permanent closure and parents returning to the workplace, the lack of child care will devastate both our economy and the personal finances of millions of Americans. Read the op-ed here.

CHILD CARE RELIEF PASSED IN THE HOUSE: In two bipartisan votes this week, the House of Representatives passed child care relief bills. The Child Care is Essential Act would create a $50 billion child care stabilization fund to provide grants to help providers pay for personnel, sanitation, training and other essential costs associated with reopening and running a child-care facility amid the pandemic. The Child Care for Economic Recovery Act would provide $10 billion for the Child Care Development Fund to distribute grants to construct, renovate or improve child care facilities, $7.1 billion increase of the Child Care Entitlement to States, and tax subsidies for working families, helping to bring quality child care within their reach to support ongoing employment. Read more analysis from CNBC’s Megan Leonhardt here.

CHILD CARE RELIEF IN THE SENATE: This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the details of the next economic recovery package, which includes $15 billion in emergency funding for the child care industry. The proposed financial relief – $10 billion through a child care stabilization fund to states and $5 billion through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program. Previously, the House passed the HEROES Act, which included $7 billion for child care, which was bolstered this week by passage of the Child Care is Essential Act. Even the most conservative estimates indicate a $26 billion investment to stabilize the child care industry would only cover half of the nation’s providers.

U.S. CHAMBER CALLS FOR CHILD CARE RELIEF: In a new letter to Congress, the U.S. Chamber of Congress is urging lawmakers to ensure the upcoming COVID-19 recovery package includes enough emergency stabilization funding to prevent the child care industry from collapsing. The business leaders, who have made child care a priority for years, wrote: “Thirteen million Americans rely on the childcare sector to care for and educate their young children while they work. Without this industry’s survival and ability to safely care for the children of working parents, every other American industry will struggle to return to work. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce appreciates the attention Congress is giving to this critical issue, but urges lawmakers to quickly find a bipartisan, bicameral path forward that is targeted and timely.” Read the full letter here.

IN THE STATES: A recent survey of Kentucky parents found that nearly 30 percent are struggling to find child care and they are stressed about sending their children back to care as they plan to return to work. A UC Berkeley study found that child care in Southern California is on the brink of collapse as they struggle to cover the rising costs related to COVID-19 safety requirements. In New York, child care providers are desperate for federal relief to prevent further closures and to fill vacant positions.

ICYMI: MASSIVE VOTER SUPPORT FOR CHILD CARE RELIEF:A poll released this week by First Five Years Fund and the Center for American Progress found broad support and demand for dedicated federal relief for child care providers. The support cuts across political affiliation and among key constituencies, with more than 80 percent in favor of a federal child care stabilization fund. Read the full results of this poll here.

In Bipartisan Votes, House Passes $50 Billion Child Care Stabilization Fund and Additional Child Care Relief

This week, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Child Care is Essential Act, which creates a $50 billion child care stabilization fund that would provide relief to child care providers struggling during the pandemic. The bipartisan vote took an important step to create a child care stabilization fund to provide relief for child care providers crippled by the COVID pandemic. With bipartisan support, the Child Care is Essential Act passed in a 249-163 vote, with 18 Republicans joining Democrats in voting to create the fund to provide direct grants to help pay for personnel, sanitation, training and other costs associated with reopening and running a child-care facility amid the pandemic.

In a second bipartisan vote, the House passed the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, which provides funding to help child-care providers reopen and improve the safety of care facilities going forward. The bill includes $10 billion for a Child Care Development Fund to distribute grants to construct, renovate or improve child care facilities, $7.1 billion increase of the Child Care Entitlement to States, and tax subsidies for working families, helping to bring quality child care within their reach to support ongoing employment.

Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the details of an economic recovery package that includes a $15 billion in child care relief, and Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced the Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020, which would provide dedicated economic assistance to stabilize the child care industry and resources to child care providers amid the COVID-19 crisis. The Back to Work Child Care Grants Act was also introduced in the House by Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23) with bipartisan support.

According to the results of a national poll released by First Five Years Fund and Center for American Progress, more than 80 percent of voters favor a child care stabilization fund, and up to a $50 billion price tag has virtually no bearing on their support of the proposal. Additionally, 9 in 10 voters want child care providers to be at the front of the line for Congressional relief, and support for child care relief cuts across party lines, including those who voted for Donald Trump (74%), voters 65 and older (83%), suburban women (86%), and Black (97%) and Latinx (93%) voters.

NAEYC Provider Survey: A State-by-State Look at the Findings

The lack of sufficient public investment for child care in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced families, educators, and programs into a
series of impossible choices. To help policymakers and the public understand the challenges the field is facing, NAEYC has surveyed tens of thousands of programs across states and settings in March, April, May, and June, and has created the reports outlined below. Together, they paint a clear picture: If substantial, targeted, emergency support doesn’t come—and soon—in order to save child care, there will be little left of child care to save.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STATE-BY-STATE DATA FROM NAEYC’S NATIONAL SURVEY.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Calls on Congress to Include Child Care in COVID-19 Recovery Package

See the Letter

In a new letter to Congress, the U.S. Chamber of Congress is urging lawmakers to ensure the upcoming COVID-19 recovery package includes enough emergency stabilization funding to prevent the child care industry from collapsing.

From the letter:

“Thirteen million Americans rely on the childcare sector to care for and educate their young children while they work. Without this industry’s survival and ability to safely care for the children of working parents, every other American industry will struggle to return to work. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce appreciates the attention Congress is giving to this critical issue, but urges lawmakers to quickly find a bipartisan, bicameral path forward that is targeted and timely.”

The influential business lobby has made child care a top priority for years, making the business case for investing in quality early learning and care opportunities.

Now with the COVID-19 pandemic, the child care industry is facing insurmountable odds as a result of drastic increases in operating expenses paired with ongoing declines in enrollment, providers need significant financial relief if they are going to be able to stay in business and continue safely caring for children.

America’s working parents cannot return to the workplace if they don’t have access to quality child care. The Chamber makes clear that, “Congress can produce a win for working families and the businesses where they work,” by providing significant stabilization funding for child care in this recovery package.

See the Letter

Senate Recovery Package Includes $15 Billion in Child Care Relief Funding; Significantly More Will Be Required to Prevent the Industry from Collapse

This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the details of Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act, which includes $15 billion in emergency funding for the child care industry. The proposed financial relief – $10 billion through a child care stabilization fund to states and $5 billion through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program – is an important investment, and underscores the unanimous agreement among Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill that America’s economic recovery will depend on the availability of child care to working families. The inclusion of a child care stabilization fund in this legislative relief package follows the introduction of a Democratic proposal earlier this summer to establish a $50 billion child care stabilization fund, as well as the House-passed HEROES Act, which included $7 billion for child care relief. Child care providers have been hit hard by the COVID-19 economic crisis, and even the most conservative estimates indicate the industry will require significantly more than $15 billion if providers are to survive the coming months of increased operating expenses, decreased revenue, and nationwide economic uncertainty.

Last week Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced the Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020 to provide dedicated economic assistance to stabilize the child care industry and resources to child care providers amid the COVID-19 crisis. The legislation served as a model for many of the child care provisions that were included in today’s recovery package, and was cosponsored by 10 other Republican senators. Companion legislation is expected to be introduced in the House this week.

Previously, Sen. Ernst and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) introduced a resolution last month calling on Congress to allocate $25 billion for child care relief as part of the next COVID-19 recovery package. Meanwhile, House Democrats passed the HEROES Act in May, which included $7 billion for child care. Subsequently, Democratic leaders in the House and Senate introduced the Child Care Is Essential Act, which would provide $50 billion in funding for a child care stabilization fund.

According to the results of a national poll released this week by First Five Years Fund and Center for American Progress, more than 80 percent of voters favor a child care stabilization fund, and up to a $50 billion price tag has virtually no bearing on their support of the proposal. Additionally, 9 in 10 voters want child care providers to be at the front of the line for Congressional relief, and support for child care relief cuts across party lines, including those who voted for Donald Trump (74%), voters 65 and older (83%), suburban women (86%), and Black (97%) and Latinx (93%) voters.

Child Care Takes Center Stage in Presidential Race

The devastating impact of these financial realities cannot be sustained without direct federal investments through a child care stabilization fund that ensures providers can keep their doors open to meet the needs of children and families.The situation varies from state to state, and even from community to community. Here’s a look at recent news coverage and analysis of the nation’s child care crisis.

THE LATEST: In a live televised event this week, former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, unveiled his proposal to invest in high-quality early learning and care programs that support families, communities, and businesses across the country. Child care remains an overwhelmingly bipartisan issue among voters nationally, and has become a focal point of candidates for office on both sides of the aisle. Read the full Biden proposal here.

WHITE HOUSE TO FOCUS ON CHILD CARE IN COLORADO: During a trip to Colorado this week, Ivanka Trump will tour a child care facility and participate in a roundtable with providers, parents, and local stakeholders on the importance of child care to America’s economic recovery and the best practices to ensure children and workers can return safely. Read more about her visit here.

BIPARTISAN MOVEMENT FOR CHILD CARE IN CONGRESS: Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), introduced the Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020, which would provide dedicated economic assistance to stabilize the child care industry and resources to child care providers amid the COVID-19 crisis. Original Senate co-sponsors include John Cornyn (R-TX), Susan Collins (R-ME), Steven Daines (R-ME), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Martha McSally (R-AZ), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Todd Young (R-IN). Additionally, 41 Republican lawmakers in the House sent a letter to Congressional leaders calling for dedicated federal relief for child care providers and businesses to stabilize an industry that has been devastated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. House Democrats expect a floor vote on the Child Care is Essential Act on Monday, which would create a $50 billion child care stabilization fund through the upcoming COVID-19 recovery package.

MASSIVE VOTER SUPPORT FOR CHILD CARE RELIEF: A poll released this week by First Five Years Fund and the Center for American Progress found broad support and demand for dedicated federal relief for child care providers. The support cuts across political affiliation and among key constituencies, with more than 80 percent in favor of a federal child care stabilization fund. Read the full results of this poll here.

BUSINESS LEADERS CALL FOR CHILD CARE RELIEF: In a letter to Congressional leaders, the Business Roundtable urged support for child care providers, writing, “to help individuals and families manage through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, Business Roundtable supports additional resources for childcare providers to ensure greater access to affordable, quality care and early education.”

IN THE STATES: With less than half of child care facilities open for business in Michigan, access to care remains a barrier to reopening the state economy because parents are stuck on waiting lists and struggling to find open spaces for their children as they return to work. In Indiana, WBAA talked with a panel of child care experts to discuss how the pandemic has impacted child care facilities and families. Parents in Kansas are sharing their stories of struggling to find child care until school starts after the state announced classes would not begin until after Labor Day.