The U.S. Child Care Crisis Explained

The lack of affordable and high-quality child care has disproportionately pushed women out of the workforce for decades. It is long past time for the United States to provide adequate, sustained funding and end the child care crisis.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Building an Economy for All, Access to Affordable Early Care and Education, Early Childhood, Quality of Early Care and Education, Women’s Economic Security +3 More

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The American child care crisis is decades old and continues to disproportionately affect women. Although the child care field—which is 90 percent women—received funding to make sure it survives the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of substantial, long-term funding for affordable, accessible, and high-quality child care options continues to push women out of the workforce and cause issues with retaining qualified early childhood teachers. It is time to end the U.S. child care crisis and its disproportionate effects on women. It is time to pass robust, sustained public funding.

Erin Robinson is the campaign manager for Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress. Darya Nicol is the digital communications associate for Early Childhood Policy at the Center.

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