As parents and caregivers navigate a return to the workforce and the start of a new school year, child care is a critical support to reopening the economy and providing stability to families. It has become abundantly clear that no industry will be able to restart if the child care sector is allowed to collapse. We need to ensure that all child care providers can open as soon as it is safe to do so – so that families are able to get back to work as soon as they’re able. To make that happen, Congress must provide at least $50 billion in dedicated child care funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To make this a reality, advocacy has never been more important. Child Care Aware^® of America (CCAoA)has compiled a comprehensive toolkit to make it easy to have an effective conversation with your Members of Congress from the comfort and safety of your own home. The following steps will guide your through these resources.  

At Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA), we have a vision for the future of child care: Every family in the United States has access to a high-quality, affordable child care system. To make good on that promise we are committed to advancing a child care system that is equitable and anti-racist. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the vital role child care plays for millions of children and families, especially for those who work on the front lines of the crisis. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is also underscoring the precariousness of high-quality, affordable and accessible child care – the result of years of underinvestment in the system.  

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the vital role child care plays for millions of children and families, especially for those who work on the front lines of the crisis. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is also underscoring the precariousness of high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care – the result of years of underinvestment in the system.   

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the vital role child care plays for millions of children and families, especially for those who work on the front lines of the crisis. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is also underscoring the precariousness of high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care – the result of years of underinvestment in the system.

State policies play an important role in exacerbating or mitigating these factors.

In the wake of the coronavirus, child care is facing serious challenges. While the field has come together to ensure public health guidance is followed, that care is available for frontline personnel, and that additional reopening of the sector is approached appropriately, more is needed to ensure that child care programs, both center-based and family child care, survive in the long term.