Action Alert: 3 Ways to Voice Your Support for Child Care
Rich countries contribute an average of $14,000 per year for a toddler’s care. In the U.S. it’s $500.
The New York Times: How Other Nations Pay for Child Care
Child care in the United States is in a crisis — and it’s time for change.
The United States — one of the richest countries in the world — spends only $500 per child on early childhood care each year.The New York Times recently shared shocking statistics about child care support in the United States. While most rich countries around the world contribute an average of $14,000 per year for a toddler’s care, the United States contributes just $500 per year, per child.
This number is staggeringly low, and the truth is undeniable.
In the developed world, the United States is an outlier in its abysmal levels of financial support for child care.
Affordable child care is essential to millions of workers and their families. Parents and caregivers cannot work if their infants and toddlers are not safe and cared for.
President Biden has proposed spending $450 billion to subsidize child care and offer universal preschool as part of his 10-year, $3.5 trillion Build Back Better plan. Congress is now on the verge of making transformational policy change for babies by investing in comprehensive paid leave, high-quality child care, and an expanded Child Tax Credit.
But negotiations continue, and these objectives remain at risk.
We need to make sure that Congress understands that scaling any of these components back could lower the odds that our children will thrive.
The needs of America’s children are non-negotiable.
Funding and building a child care infrastructure is key to supporting our families, providing the recovery our nation needs, and addressing America’s shameful underinvestment in child care.
It’s time that every family in the United States has access to a high-quality, affordable child care system. Help make this vision a reality by letting your legislators know that high-quality child care should be affordable for every family in America.
Here are 3 Ways to Voice Your Support for Child Care:
1. Share Your Story: Child Care Aware of America has a vision for the future of child care. Contact your legislators and share your personal child care story here: https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/advocacy/take-action/support-affordable-child-care/
2. Write a Letter: Take action with MomsRising to urge Congress to support kids and families by passing critical care infrastructure: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/NY_Times_Care_RR/?source=action
3. Send a Note: Urge Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act by sending a note through Think Babies: https://www.thinkbabies.org/take-action-build-back-better-act/
Further Reading
Fact Sheet on the Build Back Better Act
The Build Back Better Act Would Greatly Lower Families’ Child Care Costs
The True Cost of High-Quality Child Care Across the United States
