Dear John,

As the country slowly reopens, we cannot forget the child care workers who have been the backbone of our working economy. Our daily lives would not be possible without the women, often Black and brown, who have kept our country running without getting the recognition, or pay, they deserve.

Last week, we launched a new campaign, We Are the Backbone, to recognize the child care providers and early educators who hold us up. But we need Congress to act too. We have the momentum to go big and bold on child care. It’s time to put a stake in the ground and build a comprehensive child care and early education system that works for our nation’s children, families, educators, and economy. That’s why we’re calling on Congress to invest AT LEAST $700 billion or $70 billion every year for the next 10 years in direct spending for child care and early learning.

Parents, providers, and advocates know we are far from a system that meets all families’ needs and preferences and ensures all child care workers are paid family-sustaining wages. Child care is the backbone of the economy, and it’s important our elected officials understand that to build back better, we must build a stronger child care system. Relief was just that—relief, and we must demand all that it will take to build child care—beyond pandemic relief, beyond the status quo, and without compromising our needs—which means a bold investment of $700 billion over 10 years.

A $700 billion investment should ensure families have access to high-quality, affordable child care that is available when and where they need it, supports their children’s healthy development, and funds the education and compensation of a diverse workforce. And it benefits everyone: supporting economic growth, creating millions of good-paying jobs, enabling parents, especially mothers, to work, increasing families' lifetime earnings, and addressing a critical step in advancing gender and racial equity.

Tell Congress: Invest $700 billion in child care.

Earlier this year, we fought and won the short-term child care relief funding we desperately needed. Now we must lay the foundation for a sustainable future. Tell Congress that to build back better, we must build child care by investing $700 billion. Our families, our caregivers, and our economy depend on it.

Sincerely,

Melissa Boteach
she/her/hers
Vice President, Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning
National Women's Law Center

P.S. learn more about our We Are the Backbone campaign here.