Add your name to increase funding for the Child Care Development Block
Grant and Head Start!
[ [link removed] ]CCDBG
Families need a boost!
[ [link removed] ]take action
[ [link removed] ]Add your name!

Dear Friend,

Today might be Halloween, but the only truly spooky thing I see is how
unaffordable child care is in the United States.

You see, I was just catching up with my college BFF the other day about
all the usual things. Work, the weather, and of course: our kids. We both
have two kids 5 and under. She, however, lives in one of the most
expensive counties in the COUNTRY to raise children, and she’s spending a
whopping $3400 a month on child care for her two and four-year-old
kiddos. 

Did you read that right? Three thousand. Four hundred. Dollars. EACH.
MONTH. My jaw literally dropped. This is NOT okay. Let’s pick up our jaws
from the floor and do something about it because our kids only deserve
treats -- NOT tricks -- when it comes to their care. 

>>[ [link removed] ]Add your name to tell Congress that we need to increase funding for
affordable child care in our country! 

Luckily my friend has the resources to piece together care for her
children, however, many other families don’t have this luxury. Not only do
many families struggle to FIND child care, but as we know, affording it is
quite another challenge. Infant childcare costs more than public college
tuition in a majority of states, so it is no surprise that an astounding
83% of parents with children under the age of five struggle to afford care
in our country. [1] Not to mention, a study recently released by the
Center for American Progress (CAP) found that 77% of parents with children
under the age of five report that lack of access to child care has
negatively impacted their career advancement - meaning that this struggle
is impacting future growth and economic security for millions of families.
[2]  

This isn’t just a financial gut punch to families, but also to the
workforce and our economy! 

Families deserve enriching child care options that won’t break the bank
and will work for them, and childcare assistance is essential for helping
families, especially low-income families, find and afford the high-quality
care they need. [ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW to urge Congress to increase funding for Head
Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in the FY 2020
budget! 

High-quality early care and education (including programs like Head Start)
are essential to meeting the needs of children and their families. It
helps children get the solid start they need and their parents get and
keep the jobs they need to support their families. This includes the
workforce who are caring for our children while also trying to afford
child care of their own -- early educators  are some of the lowest paid
workers in our country with a median income of just over $10 per hour, and
rarely receive job-based benefits that support their health and
well-being. [3] 

So what gives? How can we help families find and afford the care they
need? 

[ [link removed] ]Congress is on it: We need a significant, meaningful increase in CCDBG
and Head Start funding in FY 2020 to help thousands of families to access
the care they deserve!

Funding childcare is truly a no brainer. When we make these investments in
high-quality early learning programs, the economic returns are HUGE — for
every $1 invested in high-quality early learning there is a 13% return!
[4] In fact, economists suggest that a significant investment in child
care would increase women's overall labor force participation enough to
boost GDP by roughly $210 billion, or 1.2%. [5] Now that’s what I call I
no brainer! 

So, when does this need to happen? Yesterday! Or more realistically, now. 
Last year, Congress made a historic increase to the Child Care and
Development Block Grant, which helps struggling families afford childcare.
[6] This increase was a much-needed and long overdue investment, but it
was just a first step. Similarly, the Head Start program is reaching just
31% of eligible kids - and if you look at Early Head Start, that number
drops to a pitiful 8%.[ [link removed] ] Unacceptable! Across the country, we have too
many kids on waitlists, too many parents making difficult decisions about
where to send their children when they go to work on school, and too many
early childhood educators struggling to make ends meet.  Prior to last
year’s increase for CCDBG, the number of children receiving CCDBG-funded
care had reached its lowest point in two decades. Even with the new
funding, too many families still do not receive the help they need finding
and affording high-quality child care – just 15 percent of children
eligible under federal parameters receive child care assistance. 

[7]This is why we’re calling on Congress to do BIG things for our littlest
learners and make significant investments to CCDBG and Head Start in the
FY 2020 budget-- add your name to tell them you agree!

Families, like my college BFF, should not have to spend $3400 a month on
child care. Families who are eligible for subsidized care should have
access to this life-changing benefit. No early educator should struggle to
afford to put food on the table. 

As you hand out candy to trick-or-treaters tonight, remember that all kids
deserve a strong start - and that YOU are a force for change for kids and
families across the country. 

*And, after you take action be sure to forward this email, share the
action links on Facebook and Twitter to help build a movement that lifts
us all.  The more of us who take action, the faster we’ll get the
solutions we need advanced through Congress.

Thank you for raising your voice, and have a safe and not-too-spooky
Halloween!

- Donna HC, Nina, Elyssa and the whole MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder.org
team

 

[1][ [link removed] ]"Affordable Child Care and Early Learning for All Families", Center
for American Progress, 2018

[2] Ibid

[3] [ [link removed] ]"From Unlivable Wages to Just Pay for Early Educators", Center for
the Study of Child Care Employment, 2019

[4] [ [link removed] ]"Invest in Early Childhood Development: Reduce Deficits,
Strengthen the Economy", The Heckman Equation 

[5] [ [link removed] ]"Affordable Child Care and Early Learning for All Families",
Center for American Progress, 2018

[6][ [link removed] ]"CCDBG: Helping Working Families Afford Child Care", CLASP, 2019

[7] [ [link removed] ]Access to Head Start in the United States, the National Head Start
Association

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