Dear John - Over the past several days, I’ve been moved watching the hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets in my hometown of Detroit and around the world to call attention to racial inequities in our nation. Everyone is seeking answers to questions. While I do not have all the answers, I do know that we need reform at every level of society to address the injustices. One place we can start is with the opportunities we provide to children in the earliest years of their lives. Where a child is born shouldn’t determine how they are educated. High-quality early learning programs are critically important to families across the country, especially for African American children and their families. Before the coronavirus pandemic, 69% of African American children regularly attended some form of non-parental child care.[1] Less than 1 in 5 African American workers are able to work from home, so parents are also more likely to rely on child care so they can work.[2] But because of the COVID-19 crisis, early child care programs all over the country are permanently closing, especially in urban and rural areas that serve the most vulnerable children. We can’t let this crisis rob millions more kids of a happy, successful future. Congress is discussing priorities for the next stimulus bill right now. So we don’t have any time to lose in making our voices heard! Send a message to your members of Congress today and ask them to support the Child Care is Essential Act to help save the child care industry! This new legislation would create a child care stabilization fund to cover increased costs to ensure the health and safety of children. It will also help save the jobs of early child care workers, more than 40% of whom are women of color.[3] Early child care is more than a nurturing hand – it fosters children’s overall development and learning. Quality care supports critical social and emotional development, as well as speech, language and physical development. In short, quality child care helps create the foundation for lifelong health, learning and behavior. We need to ensure that as we begin to reopen from the shutdown, early child care programs will be available for kids who most need them. Ask your members of Congress to support the child care industry by cosponsoring the Child Care is Essential Act. Thank you for being a voice for kids, | 
