Letters to Lawmakers | May 27, 2020

Letter to Congress: Sustain the Child Care Sector in the Face of COVID-19

Over 30 ReadyNation CEO Task Force on Early Childhood members call upon Congress to maintain and strengthen the child care sector.

The following letter was sent to Congress on Wednesday, May 27, 2020

May 27, 2020

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Chuck Schumer
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader Schumer:

ReadyNation is a national, bipartisan business network of current and former executives focused on strengthening workforce development and the economy through the promotion of smart investments in America’s children and youth. As members of the ReadyNation CEO Task Force on Early Childhood, we urge Congress to build upon current COVID-19 economic relief efforts, and work further to sustain one of the most important sectors of our economy: child care. Access to affordable, quality child care is essential to a healthy economy – now during the current public health crisis, as Americans return to work, and as our economy once again flourishes.

A 2019 ReadyNation study, Want to Grow the Economy? Fix the Child Care Crisis, found an annual economic cost of $57 billion in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue as a result of the infant-and-toddler child care crisis. Furthermore, 86 percent of primary caregivers of infants and toddlers reported that problems with child care hurt their efforts or time commitment at work before the pandemic.

All child care providers need to have access to financial resources to sustain their small businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, and to prepare to re-open. Maintaining child care for America’s essential workers is of the utmost importance. As Americans transition back to work, child care providers will need continued support to address reduced enrollments, enhanced health and safety protocols, train teachers, restock food and supplies, and purchase additional inventories needed to support new safety/operating standards.

As you may know, home-based child care providers serve more than 65 percent of children ages birth to age five in child care in this country. They can oftentimes offer smaller group settings and may be able to open more quickly than larger center-based care facilities – if they get the needed support. Thus, economic relief for home-based settings, together with child care centers, needs to be included in subsequent COVID-19 economic relief bills.

We urge you to continue supporting economic relief for the entire child care sector. Sustaining child care is vital to the development of our nation’s youngest generation and in helping re-start our nation’s economy.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Please Note: Below signatories lend their names in an individual capacity, not as a company representation. Company/organization names are included for information purposes only.

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