Saving Child Care Means Preserving Jobs and Supporting Working Families and Small Businesses
January 13, 2021, 5:00 am
As the coronavirus crisis has intensified over the past several months, many of the harsh realities that Americans faced early in the pandemic have resurfaced. A massive surge in cases has led many governors to reinstitute mitigation measures as COVID-19 takes its toll on overwhelmed hospitals and health care facilities. One thing that hasn’t changed: Child care is an essential service for parents, especially those who are health care workers, first responders, transit workers, and other front-line personnel.
Moreover, many economists agree that once parents can safely return to the workplace, “quality, affordable child care is an essential precondition for a successful economic recovery.” But an alarming new study from the National Association for the Education of Young Children finds that more than half of child care centers in the United States say they