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The United States is on the verge of facing an impending child care crisis that threatens the well-being and development of millions of children.
Beginning September 30, 2023, states will face an end in federal child care investments that came from Covid relief. An alarming three million children are expected to lose access to child care services. Many child care centers will be closed. It will be a disaster for parents and children alike all over the country.
Why is this happening? For two years, the United States has been federally funding child care providers with the money released for the pandemic relief. The $24 billion disbursed in pandemic relief kept the child care system from collapsing during the pandemic. Child care providers have used the money to raise teachers’ pay, buy supplies and pay mortgages.
In September, those funds expire, one of the last of the pandemic-era safety net benefits to end. It is a looming crisis for the child care industry, and could lead to tuition hikes, layoffs and closures. In all, child care could be disrupted or ended for three million children according to a report released by the Century Foundation.
It should also be noted that child care was in bad shape before the pandemic. For the average parent, it is extremely expensive and difficult to afford.
“Federal funding made a huge difference,” said Julie Kashen, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and an author of the new report. “There are going to be huge and dire consequences for child care employees, for families, for employers.”
Some Democrats in Congress want subsidies for child care to be extended or made permanent. Some Republicans have also proposed increased federal funding for child care.
Senator Bernie Sanders said, “If we allow this cliff to take place and lose the billions of dollars that we put into stabilizing child care, it will make a disastrous situation even worse.”
More needs to be done to make child care affordable to all.
REPORTS
Child Care Cliff: 3.2 Million Children Likely to Lose Spots with End of Federal Funds (The Century Foundation, 6-21-23)
NEWS ARTICLES
Biden administration proposes making child care more affordable for working families (CNN, 7-11-23)
Child Care Disruptions Expected as Record Funding Nears an End (The New York Times, 6-21-23)