SiriusXM, Press Pool with Julie Mason
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Dr. Lynette M. Fraga on the Economy & How It Can't Re-Open Until Childcare Re-Opens
Topics: Media Mention
Continue ReadingThe pandemic is slated to shutter 30% of US child care centers — and it could prove catastrophic for the careers of American women
Business Insider
Many [child care centers] will stay shuttered for good. Her estimate? "It's going to be at least 30% of all child care centers in the US," she said.
Ami Gadhia, chief of policy, research, and programs at Child Care Aware, agreed with that statistic, saying it sounded "reasonable" to her, unfortunately.
In the coronavirus relief bill enacted on March 27, Congress allocated $3.5 billion to the Child Care Development Block Grant. This funding is helping states provide crucial temporary aid to providers and support the cost of providing child care for children of essential workers. However, advocates say it is not enough to keep centers afloat.
Former presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith are calling on Senate leaders to include their plan for a $50 billion child care bailout in the next coronavirus relief package. It's uncertain whether the Republican-led Senate will pass the measure.
"If we're going to bail out cruise lines and airlines, why aren't we bailing out the child care industry? No one can go back to work in other industries if their children aren't in safe, healthy settings," Gadhia said.
Topics: Media Mention
Continue ReadingWhen Can Child Care Resume?
New York Times
Since the pandemic began, 16 states have mandated closures of child care facilities to all children except those of essential workers. A seventeenth, Rhode Island, closed child care facilities to everyone. Even in states without regulations, many day cares have chosen to close in response to the pandemic, according to Child Care Aware of America, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Topics: Media Mention
Continue ReadingSurvey: Vast Majority of Voters Support Financial Assistance for America’s Child Care Industry to Address COVID-19 Impact
National poll from Save the Children Action Network and Child Care Aware® of America shows 87 percent of Americans support federal funding to help child care centers pay staff and rent
Today, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) and Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) announced the results of a national survey that identified registered voters’ overwhelming support for federal funding to address the worsening child care crisis as a result of COVID-19. This groundbreaking poll, commissioned by SCAN and CCAoA, highlights the child care industry’s vital importance to American families and the American economy.
Topics: Press Release
Continue ReadingFinding the Right Day Care Can Be a Journey
New York Times
This guide was originally published on July 29, 2019 and republished on April 17, 2020.
Finding child care is a huge challenge for most working parents in the United States. The cost of child care, whether in day-care centers or home-based day cares, continues to rise: For a family with two working parents, the cost of a day-care center for one infant averages more than 13 percent of the household’s income, according to a 2018 report by Child Care Aware.
Consider contacting a child care resource and referral agency, which can help you decipher accreditation and licensing requirements, quality ratings and other child-care center policies.
They are “one of the best kept secrets for selecting child care and navigating the system,” said Michelle Noth McCready, deputy executive director for Child Care Aware, a membership organization that works with local resource and referral agencies. “You can talk to a live person who is knowledgeable about the child care landscape in your community.”
Child Care Aware has checklists of questions to ask and resources to consider for parents seeking child care.
Topics: Media Mention
Continue ReadingDiscussing the Consequences of COVID-19 for Child Care Centers
WEKU (NPR/Central & Eastern Kentucky)
COVID-19 shutters child care centers. Lynette Fraga of Child Care Aware of America discusses the consequences.Topics: Media Mention
Continue ReadingCCAoA Statement on Senators Warren and Smith's $50 Billion Child Care Plan
Today, Senators Warren and Smith announced a $50 billion-dollar plan to save child care in America. Dr. Lynette Fraga, Ph.D., Executive Director of Child Care Aware of America--the leading voice for child care-- released the following statement:
“Child care is essential and the system needs support. We are grateful to Senators Warren and Smith for amplifying the stories and challenges we’re seeing and hearing in communities across the country.
Their plan identifies key principles for child care relief – support for emergency and essential workers, support for providers and educators, and investment in the future of the system. All of these are critical elements, and without robust, dedicated funding toward these principles, the system will suffer even more than it already is.
As federal and state governments deliberate when and how to reopen the country, we must address the needs of our parents, children and child care workers as prerequisites to reigniting our economy.”
Topics: Press Release
Continue ReadingReport Shows Gaps in Child Care for Kids of Healthcare Workers
WDET (NPR/Detroit)
While health care workers are on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, who’s taking care of their children?
A Yale University study shows almost 3.5 million children of people who work in the American health care industry need some kind of child care while their parents are at work. The report also shows there are about 1.3 million employed child care providers, not including teachers and other education specialists.
Congress recently approved $3.5 billion dollars to shore up the child care system during the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s going to take a lot more than that, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Child Care Aware of America.
Listen to the interview with Lynette Fraga, Executive Director of CCAoA
Topics: Media Mention
Continue ReadingWhat to Do if Your Day Care Is Still Open
New York Times
Despite widespread closures of just about everything because of the Covid-19 pandemic, many day care facilities remain open around the United States — either for all children or just for children of essential workers.
Regulations for child care facilities vary by state, said Dr. Lynette Fraga, Ph.D., executive director of Child Care Aware of America, a nonprofit advocacy group. And like everything else related to Covid-19, rules are evolving rapidly. “It’s really changing, sometimes hourly,” Dr. Fraga said.
Topics: Media Mention
Continue ReadingThe child care crisis for essential employees
WUSA-9 (CBS/Washington, DC)
Dr. Lynette Fraga with Child Care Aware of America shares some statistics and support for child care for essential employees.Topics: Media Mention
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