Child care programs just lost thousands of federal dollars. Families and providers scramble to cope
1 year, 2 months ago

Child care programs just lost thousands of federal dollars. Families and providers scramble to cope

Associated Press  

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Kaitlyn Adkins is studying law to help families in her community impacted by the opioid epidemic at the heart of West Virginia coal country. Mother of three Kaitlyn Adkins, an Appalachian School of Law student, speaks about the necessity of child care access for parents working a job or toward agree after dropping off her kids at Living Water Child Care and Learning Center in Williamson, W.Va. on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Adkins brings her children to a center affiliated with a church in Williamson, West Virginia, where nearly 90% of families qualify for federal aid to help cover child care costs. Policymakers have relied on the passion of child care providers — who are mostly women — to find a way to make ends meet without the resources and support they really need, Gale said. “They’re still going to do it, whether they’re living in poverty and having to go to the food bank every week or not,” she said, of child care workers’ commitment to work.

Children Kids West Virginia West Virginia Living Center Williamson Her Children Child Care Providers Gale Living Water Child Care Programs Dollars Families Care Programs  dollars  families  living  federal  west  cope  children  thousands  scramble  virginia  lost  child  care  programs  providers  center  kids

History of this topic

Here's where voters approved a tax hike to help pay for child care
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Here's where voters approved a tax hike to help pay for child care

NPR  

Here's where voters approved a tax hike to help pay for child care toggle caption SDI Productions Child care was on the ballot in several cities and counties across the country. "The American people have resoundingly called for — both before and during the election cycle — affordable, accessible, quality child care solutions," wrote the organization's CEO Susan Gale Perry. …

Child care is a ‘textbook example of a broken market.’ Where do Harris, Trump go from here?
4 months ago

Child care is a ‘textbook example of a broken market.’ Where do Harris, Trump go from here?

LA Times  

Children get help from staff during a class at Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach in March. The ‘broken child-care market’ Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen described the child care system in 2021 as “a textbook example of a broken market.” Child-care employees are some of the lowest-paid workers in the economy, at an average of $13.22 an …

Day care prices aren’t getting better. So states are stepping in
7 months, 1 week ago

Day care prices aren’t getting better. So states are stepping in

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Across the country, the story for families is virtually the same: Child care is unaffordable for many, hard to find for those who can pay, and financially precarious for day care operators and their employees. Then, in 2022, New Mexico made child care free for nearly all the state’s families, amending the constitution to fund early childhood …

Federal Budget 2024: Winners and Losers
7 months, 1 week ago

Federal Budget 2024: Winners and Losers

ABC  

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has handed down the government's third budget, with a $300 power bill boon for every Australian household, but the purse strings kept tight on other measures. Winner: Housing The federal government will direct $1 billion of its National Housing Infrastructure Facility towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence and for youth. They …

America’s child care crisis is holding back moms without college degrees
8 months ago

America’s child care crisis is holding back moms without college degrees

Associated Press  

AUBURN, Wash. — After a series of lower-paying jobs, Nicole Slemp finally landed one she loved. “The stay-at-home moms in this country are disproportionately mothers who’ve been pushed out of the workforce because they don’t make enough to make it work financially to pay for child care,” Calarco said. But a Labor Department study found fewer than 50 American counties …

Should the government do more to help children? This bipartisan group thinks so
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Should the government do more to help children? This bipartisan group thinks so

NPR  

Should the government do more to help children? That's why the collaborative recommends "a simple, predictable, and easy-to-access cash benefit for children" — especially for families with young children. Families need more — and better — child care options The research is clear: Making sure a child has a safe, nurturing environment not only pays dividends for the lifetime of …

More Republicans back spending on child care, saying it’s an economic issue
10 months, 2 weeks ago

More Republicans back spending on child care, saying it’s an economic issue

Associated Press  

Like a lot of mothers, North Dakota state Rep. Emily O’Brien struggled to find infant care when her daughter Lennon was born in 2019. Not long after, O’Brien persuaded her colleagues to back a plan to invest $66 million in child care, an unprecedented sum for a state that had, like others with Republican leadership, long resisted such spending. In …

Youngkin calls for increased state spending on child care programs
1 year ago

Youngkin calls for increased state spending on child care programs

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday that the proposed budget he will soon unveil for the next two fiscal years will include an increase in state spending on early learning and child care programs. According to Youngkin’s remarks and a broad outline released by his office, his budget will call for over $448 million in spending …

The “Solution” to Our Child Care Woes Will Make Everything Worse
1 year ago

The “Solution” to Our Child Care Woes Will Make Everything Worse

Slate  

Swapping an office cubicle for my kitchen table a few days a week was a game-changer for me back when my kids were still small. The country’s biggest for-profit child care chains such as Bright Horizons, Learning Care Group, and KinderCare are not part of this grim picture. “We got nervous,” Chad Dunkley, co-chairman of the consortium’s board and chief …

White House wants $56 billion from Congress for disaster relief, child care and high-speed Internet
1 year, 1 month ago

White House wants $56 billion from Congress for disaster relief, child care and high-speed Internet

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The White House is asking lawmakers for nearly $56 billion in emergency spending to help the government respond to natural disasters, shore up funding for child care centers and keep high-speed internet running for low-income families — outlining President Joe Biden’s domestic priorities as Congress simultaneously weighs sending billions for conflicts abroad. The package also includes $16 billion …

Child care has long been ‘broken.’ Things may get worse this weekend
1 year, 2 months ago

Child care has long been ‘broken.’ Things may get worse this weekend

LA Times  

Sirens are sounding for American families that on Saturday the nation will fall off a “child-care cliff.” That’s when $37 billion in child-care pandemic relief from the federal government will expire. California pain points persist The industry still faces myriad pain points — teacher shortages, the high cost of materials and utilities eating into narrow profit margins, parents who still …

Opinion: Federal funding for child care is about to fall off a cliff. Why that’s a disaster
1 year, 2 months ago

Opinion: Federal funding for child care is about to fall off a cliff. Why that’s a disaster

LA Times  

When child care funds from the American Rescue Plan Act run out, 70,000 programs across the country are expected to close. The American Rescue Plan Act supported child care in two ways: It allowed states to expand financial support to families directly, and it provided funding to early education programs to stay open amid economic instability. For instance, the American …

A pediatrician's view on child poverty rates: 'I need policymakers to do their job'
1 year, 3 months ago

A pediatrician's view on child poverty rates: 'I need policymakers to do their job'

NPR  

A pediatrician's view on child poverty rates: 'I need policymakers to do their job' Enlarge this image toggle caption Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF Child poverty in the U.S. has more than doubled in a year, and we have a pretty clear idea what drove it: Congress let the expanded child tax credit expire. The …

With thousands of child care programs at risk of closing, Democrats press for more money
1 year, 3 months ago

With thousands of child care programs at risk of closing, Democrats press for more money

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are pushing for a new round of money to keep the nation’s child care industry afloat, saying thousands of programs are at risk of closing when federal pandemic relief runs out this month. Legislation introduced in both chambers on Wednesday would provide $16 billion a year over the next five years, awarded as grants to …

Blue state governors are pushing Congress on child care as federal subsidies dry up
1 year, 6 months ago

Blue state governors are pushing Congress on child care as federal subsidies dry up

Raw Story  

This story was originally published by The 19th. “This is something that I think should unite all of us, but it's somewhat frustrating that we don't see significant help coming after these child care stabilization grants,” Cooper told The 19th. “It gave rise to the letter and my conversations with members of Congress and our state legislature to step up, …

Wisconsin Republicans vote to end funding for child care program
1 year, 6 months ago

Wisconsin Republicans vote to end funding for child care program

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature voted early Friday to end funding for a pandemic-era child care subsidy program over the objections of Democrats and child care providers who argued that the move would be devastating for needy families and the state’s economy. The Child Care Counts program handed out nearly $600 million to more than 4,900 …

‘I’m trying to stay afloat:’ California parents sound off on childcare crisis
1 year, 11 months ago

‘I’m trying to stay afloat:’ California parents sound off on childcare crisis

LA Times  

Sofia Tavitian and her 7-month-old daughter, Luna Tavitian-Monterrosa, pose for a portrait at Brand Park in Glendale. “It’s really easy to say, ‘Just put your kid in day care or put your kid in child care’. It’s been difficult.” ‘I’m sure we’ll make it work for another two years’ Roger Chong, shown with his son and wife, started his own …

‘Desperation': Child care struggle worsens in rural U.S.
2 years, 2 months ago

‘Desperation': Child care struggle worsens in rural U.S.

Associated Press  

ASTORIA, Ore. — A shortage of child care in the U.S. has become so acute that it’s reaching far into rural communities, including one northwestern Oregon county where future embryos are in line for a spot at Amy Atkinson’s nursery and preschool. There’s nothing available.” Half of U.S. residents live in child care deserts where fewer than a third of …

This Is The Bittersweet Part Of Democrats' Sweet Legislative Victory
2 years, 4 months ago

This Is The Bittersweet Part Of Democrats' Sweet Legislative Victory

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Democrats in Congress were thrilled when President Joe Biden signed a landmark climate and health care bill into law last week. It’s not a complicated story: a fragile sector shattered.” Sen. Patty Murray joins members of Congress and advocates to push for child care in budget reconciliation outside the U.S. Capitol on June 9, 2022, in Washington, …

The Child Care Crisis Needs A Lot More Attention Than It's Getting
2 years, 6 months ago

The Child Care Crisis Needs A Lot More Attention Than It's Getting

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING This article is part of HuffPost’s biweekly politics newsletter. About one in three families with young children encountered “serious problems” finding child care last year, according to a survey that came out in October. “Stories of children locked in cars adjacent to factories, chained to temporary trailer homes, and left in movie theaters quickly filled newspapers and …

U.S. child-care aid would supercharge moms’ employment, study says
2 years, 6 months ago

U.S. child-care aid would supercharge moms’ employment, study says

LA Times  

A new study suggests federal subsidies for child care would increase workforce participation by mothers and move children from unlicensed to licensed care. Subsidizing child care, a key part of President Biden’s pandemic recovery legislation that has so far failed to pass into law, would increase the number of mothers in the workforce and boost wages for industry workers, among …

Democrats Are Trying To Salvage Their Party's Child Care Initiative
2 years, 7 months ago

Democrats Are Trying To Salvage Their Party's Child Care Initiative

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Sen. Patty Murray spent the past year leading calls to create a comprehensive American child care program as part of the “Build Back Better” legislation that President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders were putting together. “I have spoken to so many moms and parents who had to quit their jobs entirely because they either couldn’t afford child …

Child Care Providers Plan To Shut Down May 9 To Demand Federal Help
2 years, 7 months ago

Child Care Providers Plan To Shut Down May 9 To Demand Federal Help

Huff Post  

Child care providers across the country are planning protests and shutdowns on Monday in the hopes of reminding federal and state lawmakers they desperately need government assistance. Officials from Community Change, the progressive grassroots group leading the effort, told HuffPost that nearly 300 providers from 25 states have already signed up to be part of what they are calling “A …

Federal COVID-19 Relief Saved Child Care For Millions, Report Says
2 years, 9 months ago

Federal COVID-19 Relief Saved Child Care For Millions, Report Says

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING If you are in a working family and have managed to hold on to your child care during the past two years, you may have the federal government to thank, according to a new report. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images The report’s calculations draw on data from two independent groups that focus on early childhood: the National …

What we’re still not facing about parents’ Covid anger
2 years, 10 months ago

What we’re still not facing about parents’ Covid anger

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Kara Alaimo, an associate professor in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, is a frequent contributor to CNN Opinion. Before ultimately reaching a deal with the Chicago Teachers Union after a contentious battle over remote learning, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot accused teachers of holding kids “hostage.” Debating whether schools in the US should have been …

Parents and caregivers of young children say they've hit pandemic rock bottom
2 years, 11 months ago

Parents and caregivers of young children say they've hit pandemic rock bottom

NPR  

Parents and caregivers of young children say they've hit pandemic rock bottom Enlarge this image toggle caption Cooper Neill for NPR Cooper Neill for NPR "I had a parent tell me to f*** off last week," Cori Berg said. Working parents can't always afford to keep a sick child home Enlarge this image toggle caption Mohamed Sadek for NPR Mohamed …

Op-Ed: One huge cost of letting the expanded child tax credit die? Harm to developing brains
2 years, 11 months ago

Op-Ed: One huge cost of letting the expanded child tax credit die? Harm to developing brains

LA Times  

Rep. Maxine Waters, left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hold a news conference Aug. 12 at the Ethel Bradley Early Education Center in Los Angeles to discuss the importance of the expanded child tax credit. These payments reached 27 million children from families with taxable earnings too low to benefit from the annual tax refund provided by the previous child …

US-funded child care aid nearing reality with Biden bill
3 years, 1 month ago

US-funded child care aid nearing reality with Biden bill

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Women — and some men — in Congress have been fighting for government child care assistance for almost 80 years. All told, the federal government’s new programs for paid parental leave, child care and an expanded child tax credit “would be pretty major, if not landmark, change for social policy and expanding its reach into the depths of …

Michigan budget boosts child care, keeps caregiver pay hike
3 years, 3 months ago

Michigan budget boosts child care, keeps caregiver pay hike

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan will make more kids eligible for child care subsidies, equip state troopers with body cameras and make permanent a pandemic wage hike for nursing home workers and other caregivers under the next state budget, poised for initial approval Tuesday. The bipartisan $53 billion spending plan, which includes billions in federal COVID-19 funding, also will boost payments …

Here’s what’s in the Senate version of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending plan
3 years, 4 months ago

Here’s what’s in the Senate version of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending plan

CNN  

CNN — Senate Democrats released their sweeping $3.5 trillion budget resolution on Monday, August 9 – the latest step in their drive to expand education, health care and child care support, tackle the climate crisis and make further investments in infrastructure. RELATED: Schumer on $3.5 trillion bill: ‘We’re moving full speed ahead’ The Senate Budget Committee, which released a framework …

Why a budget boost for child care is actually good for the economy
3 years, 7 months ago

Why a budget boost for child care is actually good for the economy

ABC  

Childcare subsidies are seen as one of the big ways governments can support greater gender equality, by helping women return to work when they want to. More women working = more taxes At a very basic level, increasing the number of primary carers that can up their hours at work without being penalised means you have more people paying income …

Editorial: Child care is in crisis, but we can fix it — and help the economy, too
3 years, 8 months ago

Editorial: Child care is in crisis, but we can fix it — and help the economy, too

LA Times  

Our pandemic-stricken society cheered the brave first-responders and medical crews who confronted COVID-19 risks every day, thanked grocery workers and tipped delivery people extra. Nearly a third of the children in need of child care went without it; their parents relied on a patchwork of family and friends for help, sometimes working fewer hours as a result. The crisis in …

Harris praises Connecticut for spending federal aid on kids
3 years, 8 months ago

Harris praises Connecticut for spending federal aid on kids

Associated Press  

Vice President Kamala Harris praised Connecticut officials Friday for how the state plans to spend some of the billions of dollars from the newly passed coronavirus relief package on education and child care initiatives, noting the pandemic has given policymakers an opportunity to address longstanding challenges. The Democrat, who made her first visit to the state since the November election, …

1 In 5 Child Care Jobs Were Lost Since Pandemic Started. Women Are Affected Most
4 years, 4 months ago

1 In 5 Child Care Jobs Were Lost Since Pandemic Started. Women Are Affected Most

NPR  

1 In 5 Child Care Jobs Were Lost Since Pandemic Started. According to a report released Wednesday, more than 1 out of 5 of the nearly 1 million people employed in the U.S. as child care providers in February have lost their jobs. Women account for 95% of the child care workforce, so they have felt the impact of those …

US COVID: child care closures disproportionally affect women
4 years, 4 months ago

US COVID: child care closures disproportionally affect women

Al Jazeera  

A survey found that 13 percent of working parents had to resign or reduce work hours because of a lack of child care. “Now it’s like I’m in purgatory.” The pandemic upended child care plans for many parents in the US, forcing them – particularly mothers – to grapple with tough choices that are only becoming more difficult as states …

Discover Related