Cost of living: Child care

By CCAoA on February 14, 2023

p0dx5bbh

Children aren’t cheap. The cost of living crisis is pushing parents to the edge of their finances, worrying about paying for essentials like food, clothing and childcare. 

Topics: Media Mention

Continue Reading

New report highlights parent and provider stories and deepens our understanding of the child care crisis

By CCAoA on January 25, 2023

Parents still face rising costs while providers struggle to stay in business 

 

ARLINGTON, VA, January 25, 2022 – Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) today released The Year in Child Care: 2021 Data, Analysis and Recommendations, the final installment in the organization’s Catalyzing Growth: Using Data to Change Child Care series. This report highlights parent and provider experiences and further illustrates the gap between what families can afford to pay and what providers must charge to scrape by.  

The report is a comprehensive look at the child care system’s recent challenges and opportunities, giving readers a fuller picture of child care affordability by comparing child care prices to median household income by both marital status and race/ethnicity.  

“While the cost of child care remains out of reach for many families in this country, providers are still struggling to stay in business,” shares Michelle McCready, CCAoA’s interim chief executive officer. “As providers prepare to lose COVID-era relief funds, this sector’s need for robust, long-term public support becomes more urgent by the day.”  

Topics: Press Release

Continue Reading

America 2023: When even members of Congress don’t have child care

By Michelle McCready on January 09, 2023

AP23003788253867

 

Continue Reading

The pandemic intensified the childcare crisis—and it could be a permanent and expensive problem for working parents

By CCAoA on January 09, 2023

GettyImages-1407512726-e1673020256115

Topics: Media Mention

Continue Reading

CCAoA Statement on Congressional Passage of FY23 Omnibus Spending Bill

By CCAoA on December 23, 2022

MicrosoftTeams-image-4

Topics: Media Mention

Continue Reading

McCready Named CCAoA Interim CEO

By CCAoA on December 13, 2022

ARLINGTON, VA, December 13, 2022 – Michelle McCready was named Interim Chief Executive Officer of Child Care Aware® of America by the CCAoA Board of Directors effective January 12, 2023. CCAoA CEO Dr. Lynette M. Fraga announced in August that she is stepping down effective January 11, 2023.  

Continue Reading

New Mexico voted a child care guarantee into its constitution. For one mom, it means her 8-year-old doesn’t worry about money anymore

By CCAoA on December 07, 2022

CNN

 

A mom of three, Alicia Fout was going to college and working 30 hours a week but still often struggled to cover the cost of child care.

The high price tag forced her to prioritize which monthly bills to pay, which meant frequent utility shut-off notices – and some extremely difficult decisions.

“I learned which bills I could forgo every other month to keep up with the financial needs of my children,” Fout told CNN. 

Topics: Media Mention

Continue Reading

State Legislature Roundup

By CCAoA on November 15, 2022

State Legislature Roundup: Some Wins, but More Support for Child Care is Needed | Exchange Press 

 

State Leg Roundup Image

States and local communities play a significant role in shaping the policies that determine child care access for families and the quality of available care. This article explores legislation that state and local governments enacted in 2022 to support child care and early learning. These actions are especially important, as the last available federal funding, which has allowed states to implement temporary child care policies, is set to run out by September 24. 

As states spend down their relief funding over the next year, it will be critical to keep advocating for child care and early learning policies at the state level. While some legislative actions have been big policy wins for families, providers, and children, not every state has made bold reforms for child care and early learning. That leaves a patch-work of early learning access across the country. In 2023, we must make child care investments a priority in all state houses and at the federal level.

Follow Lynette Fraga on Twitter @lynette_fraga and Child Care Aware of America @ChildCareAware

Read the full article

Topics: Policy & Advocacy, Media Mention

Continue Reading

Yes, Inflation is Making Child Care Cost More

By CCAoA on October 20, 2022
No One Is Coming To Save Us | podcast by Lemonada Media 
 
312491638_1135485963772070_6202680545448160670_n-1
 
Gloria calls up Lynette Fraga, CEO of Child Care Aware of America, to unpack the many reasons why America’s child care crisis has only gotten worse over the past year, from inflation to the workforce crisis. Lynette explains why the military’s child care system, famous for its high quality and accessibility, is also struggling right now, with more than 11,000 children under 5 in need of a child care spot urgently. Plus, a story from the No One Is Coming to Save Us community about a new mom looking for infant care before her first ultrasound.

Topics: Workforce, Policy & Advocacy, Media Mention

Continue Reading

New Report Finds that Increases in the Price of Child Care Continue to Exceed the Rate of Inflation

By CCAoA on October 13, 2022

Child Care in 2021 Was More Expensive than Other Household Expenses 

Such as Housing and Health Care 

ARLINGTON, VA, October 13, 2022 — Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) today released Price of Care: 2021 Child Care Affordability, which outlines the continuing increases in the price of child care across the United States. 

The report highlights survey data that shows that child care prices outpaced inflation in 2021 for the third consecutive year. In 2021, the average annual inflation rate was higher than usual at 4.7%, but child care prices rose by an average of 5% when compared to 2020 prices. This means families with children were more likely to struggle to afford child care on top of essentials such as food, housing and transportation. 

“Parents continue to face the challenge of finding and affording high-quality child care,” said Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D., CCAoA Chief Executive Officer. “Recent public investments in child care have been a lifeline and helped keep programs open. But robust, long-term public support is needed to make child care affordable for families and ensure more children have access to high-quality early learning experiences to prepare them for success in school and beyond.”   

Topics: Press Release

Continue Reading