Advocates Urge President-Elect Trump to Prioritize Child Care Reform
Source: http://ohiocapitaljournal.com
A coalition of national child care and early learning advocates, including Ohio-based Learning Grove, has called on President-elect Donald Trump to take decisive action in addressing the challenges facing the nation’s child care system. In an open letter, the coalition urged the incoming administration to prioritize child care and early learning as essential to the well-being of children, families, employers, and providers.
The letter emphasizes the need for policies that enable parents to make care choices tailored to their family’s unique needs and their child’s development. It also highlights the growing financial burden on families, particularly in the Midwest, where the cost of child care for two children is estimated at $21,915 annually, outpaces average housing costs and expenses for college tuition, transportation, food, and health care, according to ChildCare Aware of America.
The coalition underlined two critical issues; the affordability of child care for families and the economic struggles of early childhood educators. These professionals, among the lowest-paid in the nation, often leave the sector due to inadequate compensation, exacerbating supply shortages and impacting care quality.
Proposed Solutions
The coalition calls for:
- Increased funding for federal programs like the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Head Start.
- Enhanced tax provisions for families with child care expenses.
- Incentives to attract and retain workers in the child care sector to improve care quality.
The letter cites a 2019 Trump administration report on child care reform, which outlined strategies for improving access to affordable, high-quality care. Advocates hope the new administration will expand on initiatives such as doubling the child tax credit and boosting CCDBG funding, which saw its largest-ever increase in 2018.
Read more about this here: https://ohio.childreninfobank.com/safebank/coalition-including-ohio-center-pushes-new-administration-for-more-child-care-support/
Source of Image: http://ohiocapitaljournal.com