Tell Congress to save child care now!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION
Dear Friend,
When a binge-worthy tv show ends a season with shocking uncertainty or a
surprise revelation, fans are left on the edge of their seats waiting for
the next part of the story. Fictional cliffhangers can be exciting,
leaving you wanting more. But when it’s real life, and when the
livelihoods of our families hang in the balance, a cliffhanger is the LAST
thing we want to experience! Yet right now, Congress is pushing us closer
and closer to a fiscal cliff with cuts that would cause millions of
families to lose access to child care.
[ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW to tell Congress: Don’t throw our families off of a fiscal
cliff!
The dual forces of an already-crumbling child care system from chronic
underfunding and a global pandemic have thrust child care further into a
state of crisis. Congress took the bold and necessary steps to invest
critical funds to stabilize the child care market which saved our system
from total collapse during the height of the pandemic. But those funds
expire this month - and without continued investment, child care
providers, families, and our economy are headed toward a giant cliff.
All told, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stabilization dollars that
saved the child care sector from collapse are expiring with projections
that 3.2 million children could lose their child care as a result.
But help is on the way! The Child Care Stabilization Act was introduced
today to provide at least $16 billion per year in emergency child care
dollars to address this, while laying the groundwork for the sustained and
transformative funding needed to ensure high-quality, affordable child
care is accessible for all families.
Investing in American families should be the top priority of an
appropriations process that aims to help our economy, not push our
families toward disaster! The U.S. budget is a reflection of the country’s
priorities and values, and actually investing in American families and our
economy looks like appropriating:
* $8.7 billion (a $700 million increase over FY2023) investment in the
Child Care Development Block Grant. At least $12.2 billion for Head
Start, which matches the Senate’s proposed funding levels. A proposed
cut in the House version of the bill would remove 80,000 kids’ access
to this critical program.
* $7.3 billion (or whatever amount is required) to fully fund WIC, serve
the projected caseload, and prevent waitlists or cuts to the program.
* Necessary investments in maternal health and maternal mental health
programs to safeguard the advancements made in recent years.
Yet Republican leadership in Congress have not been very concerned about
doing what is best for our families or loved ones, or businesses and the
economy. Instead of addressing this looming (but preventable) crisis, they
are adamant about literally being the worst by slashing funds for
education, child care, maternal health, and nutrition programs that will
hinder businesses and leave families behind.
[ [link removed] ]Tell Congress: Families and children need care, NOT cliffs! It’s time
to pass the Child Care Stabilization Act!
Any child care cuts would be especially disastrous for moms and
businesses, because three years after a global pandemic tanked the
employment rates of women to historic levels, women are finally returning
to the workforce. This past June, the share of working-age women between
25 and 54 who are working or looking for work hit 77.8% — an all-time
high.[1] But if these childcare cuts go through, moms will once again be
left behind and pushed out of the labor force.
[ [link removed] ]Whether or not families can access child care is NOT a cliffhanger we
need. Congress must take action to uplift and support children, families,
providers, and our economy!
The needs of children and families shouldn’t be used as a political plot
device with major real world consequences. Child care is already
unaffordable for far too many families, with some reporting paying a third
of their take home pay to child care [2] and child care already rivaling
the cost of college in most states [3]. Babies and toddlers make up 3.4%
of the U.S. population but receive just 1.5% of all federal spending [ [link removed] ].
Yet, despite this, House Republicans are looking to further reduce child
care. Make it make sense! (spoiler alert: it doesn’t make sense).
American mothers, families, and businesses are sick of being left hanging.
Access to care is critical to the ability to work and provide for our
loved ones. [4]Let's raise our voices together to say no cuts and no
cliffs, congress must support child care!
-Nadia, Nina, Elyssa, Lauren, Donna, Kristin, Hanna and the whole
MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder Team
P.S. Want to amplify your impact? [ [link removed] ]Click here now to send a Letter to
the Editor to your local paper. This is a powerful and easy way to make
sure our elected leaders get the message to prioritize saving child care!
[1] [ [link removed] ]Women are returning to the job market in droves, just when the U.S.
needs them most
[2] [ [link removed] ]Working Families Are Spending Big Money on Child Care
[3] [ [link removed] ]The True Cost of High-Quality Child Care Across the United States
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