Maybe, just maybe, Congress is finally getting serious about helping parents get back to work.
There’s growing bipartisan support among lawmakers for a major relief package that could help child care providers meet the enormous coronavirus-related challenges that have forced some centers to suspend operations and left others barely hanging on. The ongoing pandemic could cause roughly 40% of child care facilities to close permanently, according to a survey of 5,000 providers. If they go down, so will the prospects of working parents and the economy — parents with minor children make up almost one-third of the nation’s workforce.
The fundamental problem is that in the current environment, child care providers lose money whenever they open their doors. Typically, providers need to have 80% of their seats filled to make a profit, but they’re required now to operate at 40% to 60% capacity. Then there are the added expenses to make child care centers safer, including masks, face shields, gloves, thermometers and cleaning supplies. They need more toys because kids can’t share anymore. The CDC recommended sanitizing toys immediately after a child puts it in his or her mouth, or sneezes or coughs on it. The cleaning regimen is so intense, operators may need extra employees just to keep up.
And they can’t cut corners on safety measures. While children may be less likely than their parents and teachers to develop severe illness from the coronavirus, they can still be infected and transmit the virus to other people.
Unlike K-12 public education, child care in the U.S. is largely a private industry, with operators that rely on fees paid by customers to stay afloat. If parents aren’t working or don’t feel comfortable sending their children back to day care, then these facilities can’t open or stay open.
The need for child care is only going to grow as more businesses call their employees back to work. Plus, more K-12 school districts are starting the new year online — meaning parents won’t have that vital source of child care, including after-school programs that could watch kids until 6 p.m.
Parents — and their employers — need child care, and providers need government help to stay open and serve their mission. Yet so far, not nearly enough has been done to help. The airlines got a $25-billion bailout. Child care got $3.5 billion.
But at least some lawmakers are getting the message. Nearly 100 House Democrats have co-sponsored the Child Care Is Essential Act, which would provide $50 billion for child care providers during and after the pandemic. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) has called for aid for child care facilities in the next pandemic relief bill, and two Republican senators, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, have proposed a $25-billion fund.
It’s a hopeful sign. Child care is too often an afterthought for the nation’s political leaders. But for families, safe and high-quality child care is truly essential.
This editorial first appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Friday. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.
