Dear John - As an advocate for children and a dad, I’m glad that President-elect Biden has called for increased investment in child care as a key part of his plan to “build back better” from the coronavirus pandemic. Now, we need to hold him to his promise – and ensure Congress provides the necessary funding. The numbers are stark. Average enrollment is down by 67 percent.[1] Provider costs have almost doubled.[2] And already, tens of thousands of providers have permanently closed. Approximately 200,000 jobs – 20 percent of the entire industry – have been lost nationwide.[3] If immediate action isn’t taken, 4.5 million child care slots could be lost forever. That’s millions of kids who will start kindergarten behind. And millions of parents won’t be able to get back to work. Send a message to President-elect Joe Biden and your members of Congress – we need to ensure the child care industry survives the pandemic! Child care is currently in a crisis, but even before COVID-19 there were major problems. Access to child care was unaffordable and out of reach for many families. At the same time, the child care workforce was underpaid. A majority of workers had to rely on some form of public assistance for support. Child care providers need immediate financial support so they won’t go out of business. But then, when the crisis is over, we’ll need to provide long-term financial investment in the child care industry. Child care helps millions of kids – especially those living in poverty – get a strong start in life. It helps working parents fully contribute to our economy. Child care is essential to our shared future, and we must treat it as such. Send a message to President-elect Biden and Congress – save child care now and for the future! Thank you for being a voice for kids, | 
