Our families deserve child care!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION
Dear Friend,
It’s been so hard to take a minute to breathe lately, the news and the
state of the world seem to be so overwhelming and stressful, making our
lives even more overwhelming than normal.
[ [link removed] ]Tell U.S. Senators: We’re trying to juggle the impossible and need a
comprehensive, affordable, high-quality child care and Pre-K system for
our families!
The truth is, as much as the news cycle and even our daily lives can be a
grind, many of the struggles we face today are ongoing issues. It’s been
coming to a head now because we shouldn’t have had to face so many things
on our own, all at the same time, with no or little support for so long.
As parents especially, we carry so many societal burdens directly on our
backs as many of us try to work, raise kids, keep everyone healthy, keep a
roof over our heads, afford food, take care of our elders. It is just too
much.
[ [link removed] ]Yet history has shown us that even during a time of immense crisis, we
can rise to the challenge to truly support our children and families. U.S.
Senators MUST move forward on child care and universal pre-k so parents
can work, children can thrive, and care workers can earn a living wage!
As the coverage of conflict abroad fills our news channels and timelines,
only breaking our hearts further, our nation is gearing up to provide
critical support for defense overseas. We understand we must support our
friends abroad, especially those who are in harm’s way. We recognize that
this is crucial, but did you know that in the past, even during difficult
economic times and crises, the U.S. not only found the resources needed to
avoid further crisis, but they ALSO prioritized AND paid for investments
in child care! In fact, just this past week was the one-year anniversary
of the American Rescue Plan, which included nearly $40 billion to provide
relief to families and the child care sector, on top of the previous child
care relief funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
(CARES) Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental
Appropriations Act (CRSSA). [2] These pieces of legislation helped prevent
nearly 75,000 permanent child care closures, saving more than 3 million
spots for young children who need care and education [ [link removed] ] during an
unprecedented global pandemic. As we hopefully near the end of this
particular historic crisis, let’s not return our families back to the
long-running child care crisis that some lawmakers are refusing to
address.
[3]Take action to make sure our members of Congress know that where
there’s a will, there’s a way and our families NEED child care and
universal pre-k NOW!
So you and I know that WE have the will to push to make this difference in
child care access and affordability, but what is the way to get there
right now? Right now, Congress is working on the Building a Better America
plan, which should include critical child care and Pre-K investments
needed to solve the ongoing child care crisis. [ [link removed] ]
That means that RIGHT NOW (again…) is a critical time to amp up the
pressure and make sure child care isn’t left out of this new plan. I know
we have been asking you to speak up so much lately, but we can’t let
leaders forget even for one minute how much our families need a solution
to the child care crisis.
What we do know is that families (and our businesses and economy) NEED
child care, universal pre-k, the Child Tax Credit, paid family and medical
leave, and more.
[4]Child care and pre-K must move as part of any reconciliation package
that Congress agrees upon. Urge U.S. Senators to make a comprehensive,
affordable, high-quality child care and Pre-K system for families a
reality!
There is so much going on right now, all of it heartbreaking, and
unfortunately the news is not going to get better without HELP. Did you
know that a recent report shows that nearly half a million families are
estimated to be stranded without reliable child care, exacerbating the
nation's worker shortage as parents continue to stay home? [ [link removed] ] This is
after an unprecedented global pandemic that our families and our economy
still need to recover from. The kicker to all of this is that already,
pre-pandemic, more than 1/2 of families lived in child care deserts
without safe, nurturing, affordable options to begin with. [ [link removed] ]
We have the resources, we just need the political will to do the right
thing. You are a critical part of pushing that paradigm. Keep taking
action, share your story, bring others with you, keep rising with us, and
I know together, we can make child care and pre-k a reality for all of our
families as a permanent solution, and not a fleeting footnote in history.
- Nadia, Nina, Kristin, Donna, and the whole MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder
Team
P.S.– We need to hear from you to keep up the drumbeat for comprehensive,
affordable, high-quality child care and Pre-K system, [5]share your child
care story now!
References:
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