Yesterday, the House of Representatives unveiled their version of the latest round of stimulus relief: The HEROES Act. 

While we are happy to see some movement on relief for the American people coming out of Washington, this bill falls woefully short of where we need to be to ensure the survival of our child care system.

An in-person meeting. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have in our toolbox as advocates. But what do we do when we can no longer sit down, face-to-face, and have a conversation with our representatives? 

Advocacy has never been more important, so we can’t just put one of our best tools away. We have to adapt to the circumstances to make sure we’re still having the biggest impact we can for ourselves and for working families who need access to safe and reliable child care.

This week, Child Care Aware^® of America and the Save the Children Action Network released the results of a nationwide survey that confirms for us what we’ve known since this crisis began:

Updated March 27, 12:50 p.m.

With all the news and updates around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it can be difficult to grasp the proposals put forward by Congress. Below you will find a summary of each proposal passed or under consideration so far:  

Early childhood education programs are essential for the millions of children and families they serve and play an important role during emergency public health and economic emergencies. As schools close, families need back-up child care. As communities work to ensure no child goes hungry and essential personnel are able to handle emergencies, child care providers need resources and guidance to help assist families. And, as attendance fluctuates, child care business owners need reassurance that they will be able to pay their bills.  

Policymakers can act using these recommendations from Child Care Aware^® of America to ensure that child care programs can weather this growing public health and economic crisis, and to ensure families continue to have access to the care they need.

At Child Care Aware^® of America, we understand the importance of translating research findings into actions. Each year, our network of passionate advocates use our research to advocate for child care policies that increase access to affordable, high-quality child care.  This research drives public dialogue on the issue and informs policymakers and advocates in their work. The US and the High Price of Child Care is no different in its ability to support advocacy for change.