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Halfway through 2022, we are feeling positive about the investments seen in states for child care and early education this year, yet also feel the urgency and need for additional, sustainable, and significant resources. State investments include ongoing policy and funding decisions from the historic $39 billion in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This funding was crucial to programs’ recovery from the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We remain steadfast in our advocacy to build on the ARPA investments, as the relief resources are not enough for long-term, systemic change. The child care system must be rebuilt through large, sustained investments that guarantee accessible, affordable, and high-quality care for families and livable wages and professional development for child care and early education professionals. Reconciliation remains an opportunity for a short while longer to begin making this a reality. By including child care investments in an economic package, states will be able to continue building on the transformational progress made through ARPA implementation.
Recently, Senator Murray and Senator Kaine introduced a child care and preschool reconciliation proposal that would tremendously impact children, families, and providers. CLASP estimates that the proposed investment would expand access to 1+ million children. The $100 billion+ investment in states would expand the supply and quality of child care and preschool, raise wages for the early childhood workforce, and establish a state pilot program to further expand child care access and affordability for higher-earning families. The Murray-Kaine proposal is a chance to address the ongoing child care crisis caused by decades of insufficient federal funding and help rebuild a thriving child care sector that supports the overall economy. Investments like this are long overdue, and it is crucial that Congress gets a reconciliation package that includes child care over the finish line.
During the last quarter, the child care and early education team's work was featured in many publications including: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Hill, Huffington Post, USA Today, US News, MS Magazine, The Nation, EdSource, FiveThirtyEight, Latin Post, The American Prospect, The New Republic, and more.
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