Sign now to support the CCWFA! TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

Within the past two weeks, Republican majorities in both branches of Congress and the Trump administration further solidified how little they actually care about our nations’ kids and families by passing the disastrous and unpopular Big Betrayal Bill. But you and I know our children and families MATTER. We know our kids deserve better, our families deserve better, our economy and our small businesses deserve better, and our entire nation deserves better when it comes to crucial issues like child care. We are NOT going to stop fighting for what is right!

*CLICK HERE to urge your member of Congress to support the Child Care for Working Families Act!

Moves by the Trump administration to gut child care access have been relentless and damaging. So far, the Trump administration’s attacks on child care have included: the illegal halting of federal grants and loans (including crucial payments to child care programs), the firing of federal workers critical to administering child care programs throughout the country, [1] and the closing of Head Start regional offices in 22 states. [2]

Just last week came the alarming announcement that, for the first time in the 60 year history of Head Start, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) will be requiring Head Start programs to check the citizenship or immigration status of children prior to their enrollment, undermining the very foundational philosophy of the program – that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach their full potential. [3]

These actions have done nothing but jeopardize access to care for tens of thousands of children and their families, making it harder for parents to build good lives for their families, raising costs, and damaging our economy.

This is all on top of the fact that child care has long been and continues to be unaffordable and unattainable. According to data from 2022, the cost of child care has increased nearly 220 percent (!!) over the last three decades; [4] and since 1990, child care expenses have outpaced wages, groceries, and even housing, and is one of the most expensive items in family budgets. [5] All of this forces countless families, especially moms, to make the impossible choice between working in much-needed jobs and paying for child care.

Let’s face it: parents need child care so they can go to work, kids need early learning to thrive, businesses need child care so their workers can be at the workplace, and child care workers need to earn living wages. Even so, Trump and Republicans in Congress are directly attacking child care affordability, access and quality. It’s ridiculous, out of touch, raises the cost of living, and perpetuates ongoing harm against families.

*Families have had enough of these child care struggles. SIGN NOW to tell Congress to address the ongoing child care crisis by supporting the Child Care for Working Families Act (CCWFA)!

Democratic leaders in Congress just re-introduced this critical piece of legislation to make high-quality child care affordable for families and address child care shortages throughout the nation.

The Child Care for Working Families Act (CCWFA):

• Ensures no working family pays more than seven percent of their income on child care, regardless of the number of children they have
• Provides free child care to families earning below 85 percent of the state median income
• Improves the quality and supply of child care for all children and increases child care options for families
• Supports higher wages for child care workers
• Provides funding to support child care providers’ costs
• Expands access to high-quality preschool programs

The CCWFA also provides funding for Head Start agencies to provide full school year and full school day services. It ensures Head Start and Early Head Start teachers and staff earn wages that are comparable to wages for elementary educators with similar credentials and experience in the state or, at a minimum, earn a living wage.

*Don’t forget: Tell Congress to support our families and our economy by co-sponsoring and supporting the Child Care for Working Families Act!

On average, the U.S. economy loses $122 billion dollars each year due to lost wages and revenues because workers can’t get the child care they need. [6] Congress cannot support the economy and cannot lower costs without addressing the very real crisis of child care in America. Our nation succeeds when parents are given the opportunity to work while ensuring their children have access to the early education they need to thrive.

Thank you for taking action and for keeping up the drumbeat on child care with us!

- Nadia, Lauren, Nina, Hanna, Donna, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team

P.S. – Have you had your own challenges with child care? Share your story with us today!

References:

[1] Anatomy of a federal purge: How health agencies fired, and then backtracked, on personnel cuts

[2] Closures of Head Start Regional Offices Jeopardize Critical Services for Children and Families 

[3] Statement from National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci on HHS Decision To Change Head Start Enrollment Criteria

[4] Data Finds Child Care Prices Continue to Rise Ahead of Midterm Elections, Outpacing Inflation

[5] Child Care Expenses Push an Estimated 134,000 Families Into Poverty Each Year

[6] Fact Sheet: Child Care and the Economy 

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