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Urge Congress to include child care funding in the next relief package!
[ [link removed] ]take action
[ [link removed] ]Take Action

Dear Friend,

Every morning for the last two weeks I’ve woken up wondering what impact
this COVID-19 crisis will have on my toddler’s life along with our entire
country. My partner and I are juggling our work schedules (like so many
parents and caregivers!) the best we can as we  try to give her some
semblance of normalcy. But more than ever, I'm grateful for the loving
care my child normally receives while we work.

That’s why it pains me to tell you that, as a nation, we are on the verge
of losing more than half (yes you read that right - MORE THAN HALF) of our
child care programs IF there isn’t significant public investment from
Congress and support soon. [1] 

→ [ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW to tell Congress to include child care funding in the next
relief package to ensure the stability of our child care system so parents
and caregivers have child care to return to when this crisis is over! 

The situation is critical. As child care centers close to protect children
and the communities they serve from further spread of the COVID-19 virus,
families across the nation are at risk of permanently losing the child
care that is critical to ensuring their youngest children have the
enriching care they need to thrive while parents and caregivers work. 

We’ve been hearing from moms daily that child care is making an already
giant crisis so much worse. Frontline healthcare workers like Maya in
California who wrote to us to say, “I am a single mom, and I am an RN. So,
with this pandemic, it has put me in desperation for childcare, as my
daughter's daycare is closed, but I still have bills. Also, they're
rationing our respiratory masks at work. Which is scary.” 

We’re hearing too from early educators who are losing much needed income
as they care for their own families, like Carrie in Wisconsin who shared:
“I am losing hours at work due to the COVID-19. I work in child care. I am
a mother of 7 kids. I'm losing $250 every 2 weeks” and Krista in Ohio who
shared, “I am a Montessori teacher in a local private daycare so am out of
work and with no benefits or pay now. HELP!” 

And moms like Rebecca in North Carolina who are paying for child care
despite loss of income because they're worried they’ll lose their spot,
“Unfortunately, I am a contracted worker...however, working from home is
not much of an option...Rent is still due on the 1st. We will eventually
need groceries again. I have no one to provide child care. I have to
continue to pay day care...even though we are not there to continue to
hold my son's spot. Neither mine nor my husband's job offers benefits. I’m
not sure what to do at this point.”

These families are struggling (like so many in this moment), but child
care doesn’t need to be part of this crisis anymore. Congress has the
power to stabilize the child care system before things get worse, but they
need to hear from YOU!

[ [link removed] ]***Click here to SIGN OUR LETTER NOW to tell Congress that without
immediate assistance, child care cannot exist. 

Families are struggling and will continue to struggle even after this
crisis passes if we don’t act now. Parents and caregivers need protections
like paid sick days and paid family and medical leave for all child care
needs and prevent job loss. While the $3.5 billion to CCDBG and the small
business loans included in the CARE Act will start to help alleviate this
crisis, families also need support through this child care crisis and
child care is a $99 billion dollar industry that, even during a strong
economy, operates on very thin margins. [2] 

The size and scope of the impact of this public health crisis on the child
care sector is profound and growing. In the next relief package, we are
urging Congress to, at a minimum, make a $50 billion dollar investment in
our child care system, which would: 

* Eliminate copayments or tuition and fees to “save spots” for
families during this crisis and ensure that providers are still
paid the full amount for that enrolled slot.
* Pay child care providers to cover their ongoing operating costs
when they are closed so their financial security – and the security
of educators they employ – is not threatened. 
* Provide higher levels of compensation – hazard pay – for child care
providers and educators serving children of frontline workers or
operating for longer hours.
* Purchase materials for providers that cannot afford or even find
supplies on their own (especially sanitation supplies like hand
sanitizer and gloves).
* Provide training and medical support for child care providers on
health and safety practices in response to the virus, available in
all relevant languages.

[ [link removed] ]**Urge Congress to provide at least $50 billion in child care funding
to ensure the stability of our child care system so parents and caregivers
have child care to return to when this crisis is over!

It’s more important than ever that we speak up. Too often, people think of
childcare as a “personal issue” - as in our own problem to solve. 

But this crisis has shown more clearly than ever what we already knew,
that we cannot continue to expect families and providers to bear the
responsibility of child care on their shoulders alone. If people can’t get
back to work after this crisis is over, it will hurt us all and negatively
impact the ability for our communities to bounce back. 

We know that a lot of people in your network are dealing with this same
stressful struggle, so after you [ [link removed] ]sign our letter, forward this email to
your friends and family and make sure to post our action link to
[ [link removed] ]Facebook. The more people that take action and speak out, the higher
the profile this issue will get--there is so much information coming
through the airwaves and up to Congress that we need to break through. 

It’s time for Congress to take action on child care and, together, we can
raise our voices to make sure they do. 

~ Nina, Elyssa, and the entire MomsRising/MamásConPoder Team 

[1] [ [link removed] ]Without Immediate Relief, More than Half of Licensed Child Care
will Close in the Next Week, National Association of Young Children 

[2] [ [link removed] ]$3.5 Billion for Child Care in Coronavirus Package is Not Enough:
How States Will Fare, CLASP

 

P.S. Our elected officials are inundated with information right now, but
we need them to really sit up and pay attention to our child care needs
before it is too late. One way to do that is for you to share your child
care story/situation with them directly. Can you tweet your Members of
Congress and share your child care story (even if it’s just a short
sentence)? You can find their twitter handles here at [ [link removed] ]Tweet
Congress and use HASHTAG so we can find you on Twitter. (You can also tag
us at @MomsRising).  

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