Send a Letter: Support the Federal Child Care for Working Families Act
“Child care is crucial to the growth, development and educational advancement of all children, and creates a positive economic impact for families and communities. Every family in the United States should have access to a high-quality, affordable child care system.”
Our nation is in a child care crisis that hurts children, families, businesses, and communities. Across the country, families are facing barriers accessing and affording high-quality child care, forcing them to make a difficult decision to raise their children.
Tell your Members of Congress to support the Child Care for Working Families Act!
🚨 Take Action: Send a Letter with Child Care Aware
The bipartisan Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 2817/S. 1360) would help move us closer to a child care system that is child-centered, family-engaged, equity-driven, and community-focused.
Please promote the support of this bill by writing your legislators. Here is a link to find your federal legislators. A draft letter is below.
Dear Legislator:
The child care system supports children’s growth, development, and educational advancement and creates a positive economic impact for families and communities.
Research by Child Care Aware® of America estimates the national average annual cost of child care to be approximately $10,174, with wide variability across types of care and location. Compare that average to the national median income for married couples with minor children, and it would take 10% of household income to cover the child care costs for one child. For single-parent households, the numbers are even more stark, with 35% of household income needed for child care for one child.
I urge you to cosponsor and support the Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 2817/S. 1360), which will:
– Make child care more affordable for the most vulnerable families, by establishing a sliding scale of family contribution to keep each family’s co-payment below 7 percent, the target set by the Department of Health and Human Services.
– Increase the number of children eligible for assistance by more than double and ensure that high-quality slots are available for those children.
– Improve the quality of care in home-based, family, and neighbor settings and during nonstandard working hours.
– Assist with expansion of Head Start programs to provide a full-day, full-year schedule.
– Support universal access to high-quality preschool programs, beginning at age 3, and incentivize the expansion of child care for infants and toddlers.
– Address the functional and access needs of children with disabilities in child care settings by increasing funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
– Improve compensation for early childhood educators to provide a living wage.
– Expand workforce training for early childhood educators to help them to improve their practice.
I urge you to support families by supporting the Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 2817/S. 1360).
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Name
