Parents across the nation are struggling to access affordable and reliable child care almost five years after the start of the pandemic — a phenomenon that new survey data suggests may be worsening as stimulus funds expire.
One-third of parents recently surveyed by The National Women’s Law Center reported their child care costs rose over the past year, following the expiration of the first batch of pandemic-era child care funding. Among parents of kids under age 5, that number is even higher (37%).
Susan Gale Perry, CEO of Child Care Aware of America, described the situation in Nevada, where eligibility for subsidized child care programs is returning to pre-pandemic criteria as relief funds wind down. “[This] means that families who have the least are going to need to be paying more for child care,” she said.
Across the country, she added, states were able to implement creative solutions with the help of pandemic relief revenue. “The bright spots that we’re seeing are states that are continuing to pick up some of those great ideas and move forward with them using state funds. So we know we need a solution that includes a combination of federal and state and private and parent fees to really make child care work the way it needs to for this country.”