New York Congresswoman
Nita M. Lowey and Massachusetts Congressman Richard E. Neal recently published
a piece that emphasizes the need to rethink how day care centers reopen, while
stressing their importance to the economy.
“Even before the
pandemic, millions of parents could not find quality, affordable childcare that
matched their work hours or their ZIP codes. Long wait lists for a childcare
slot were routine. Now, across the United States, the pandemic has created
significantly greater challenges for American families to secure safe,
accessible care for their children with facility closures, reduced capacity,
and new financial strains on programs, providers, staff and parents,” the essay
notes. “The Center for American Progress (CAP) estimates that without adequate
federal support, the coronavirus pandemic could permanently eliminate 4.5
million childcare spots -- nearly 50% of US childcare capacity, which was
already far below our country's needs. People simply cannot return to their
jobs if they're unable to find care for their children.”
The two Democrats have
introduced the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, legislation that seeks to
triple guaranteed federal child care funding from $2.9 billion a year to $10
billion a year for the next five years, with state match requirements for the
increase temporarily suspended, to help more low- and middle-income families
afford care. It includes landmark $10 billion for grants to states to help
assess long-term structural challenges childcare facilities face, and make
essential adaptations, reconfigurations and expansions in response to
coronavirus.
The bill, of course,
is bound to become caught in partisanship, like most governmental action these
days. But it does address the fact that so many parents have been finding that
they need to figure out what they're going to do with their children as day
cares remain closed or have limited openings.
"The smaller
schools are in danger of closing now, and the schools with a little more are in
danger of closing in four, five, six months," says New York City day care
center owner Wendy Cole.
In Florida, meanwhile,
there is no age when a child can be legally left home alone, only a recommended
age of 12 or older, and growing discussion about how many kids will be left on
their own moving forward.
From CNN