Video: Child Care is Essential

There’s no question that child care is essential for working families and our economy.

Addressing the nation’s long standing child care challenges will be integral to the success of any major investment in infrastructure, America’s economic recovery, and our long-term economic success. Even before the pandemic, most parents struggled to find quality, affordable child care, with child care costs increasing by 25% in the last decade.

Half of Americans were living in a child care desert, with 1 licensed child care slot for every 3 children under the age of 5. For those families who could find quality child care, the costs were often prohibitive, with most families spending upwards of $13,000 per year per child, on average. Meanwhile, breakdowns in child care cost businesses an estimated $3 billion a year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.