Working Families
Access to affordable, reliable, and high-quality early learning and child care opportunities provides working families with better job stability and overall economic security.
Here are five things to know about child care and working families.
- Child care prices are untenable across all program types, age groups, and geographic locations. In 2021, the cost of infant care ranged from 24.6% to 75.1% of income for single-parent households.
- Child care helps parents return to or stay at work, which can generate an additional $94,000 in lifetime earnings for mothers.
- Almost half of parents are absent from work at least once every six months due to child care issues.
- 74% of mothers and 66% of fathers have left work early, arrived late, or been absent because child care fell through at the last minute.
- In a recent poll, 59% of part-time or non-working parents say they would go back to work full-time if their child had access to quality child care at a reasonable cost.
Learn more:
Posts
The First Five Things to Know About: the House Bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus
Addressing the child care needs of families across America is a critical element to strengthening our communities and our economy. For years, the House Bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus …
The First Five Things To Know About: The Federal Tax Code and Child Care
Child care is not a luxury for American families – it’s a necessity. Yet the high costs associated with quality child care are rapidly outpacing most other expenses, including the …
Child Care Choices: An Overview of Early Learning and Care Settings
Finding child care that is affordable, safe, and developmentally appropriate is critical for children and families alike. Families also need choices to meet their specific needs. Children experience both short- and …
State by State: Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
It’s a struggle for millions of hard-working American families to afford quality child care. Federal programs and policies help support working families with child care expenses, but they are limited …
The First Five Things To Know About: Child Care Is Infrastructure
This week Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) reintroduced her “Child Care Is Infrastructure” package, two bills designed to make critical investments in child care facilities and the early education workforce. …
State Of Play: Federal Child Care Solutions Gain Steam Going Into The August Recess
June and July brought a lot of Congressional momentum, with multiple pieces of proposed legislation that would bring better support to more working families and young children who need quality, …
Spotlight On: Child Care and the 2024 Olympics
There have been many memorable moments from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Steve, the Pommel Horse guy. Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav bringing the fun as Ambassadors. Simone Biles, …
The First Five Things to Know About: The Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2024
Working families across the country rely on quality child care, but for too many families, child care remains hard to find and even harder to afford. The federal Child Care …
STATEMENT: First Five Years Fund In Support of the Newly Introduced Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2024
Washington – Today, Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced legislation to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG), the primary federal child care program that helps working families …
The First Five Things to Know About: The Kaine-Britt Bipartisan Child Care Plan
Millions of working families with young children rely on quality child care, but the eye-watering cost and limited supply means many can’t find or afford it. Without it, many parents …
Essential Excerpts: Child Care Quotes From The Hill
As we monitored hearings on Capitol Hill this week, it was striking to see how many of them featured the issue of child care. From the House Appropriations Committee to …
Top Themes from the National Child Care Innovation Summit
“I’m here because child care is not only a social issue or a women’s issue. It is also an economic issue. In fact, I’d argue it’s one of the most …
