---
title: Exacerbated by pandemic, child care crisis hampers economy
description: Exacerbated by pandemic, child care crisis hampers economy
---

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# Exacerbated by pandemic, child care crisis hampers economy

 October 27, 2021

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Associated Press

“Early learning is no longer seen as just a women’s issue or a children’s issue. It’s really seen as an economic issue. It’s about workforce participation,” said Mario Cardona, policy chief for Child Care Aware of America. “It’s about employers who don’t have to worry about whether they’ll be able to rely upon employees.”

Child Care Aware of America estimates 9% of licensed child care programs have permanently closed since the pandemic began, based on its tally of nearly 16,000 shuttered centers and in-home day cares in 37 states between December 2019 and March 2021.

[Read the full article. ](https://apnews.com/article/17db11434b2bb82a3d7fb3fc82003514)

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['Crisis level': Child care providers grapple with a worker shortage as federal relief is slow to help](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/crisis-level-child-care-providers-grapple-with-a-worker-shortage-as-federal-relief-is-slow-to-help)

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