Every day, early educators across the country are setting future generations up with the foundation needed to build a healthy, successful life. This work is essential to our families, our economy, and our future. Yet still, it is underresourced. Only 1 in every 6 low-income eligible children receive the assistance they need to access quality care. The Child Care and Development Block Grant is critical to helping more families afford child care and boost payments to child care providers, whose numbers have dwindled over time. Families and children benefit when they have access to affordable, quality care in which parents can trust that their children are safe, loved, and learning. Moreover, the early childhood professionals who are caring for and educating this next generation—while often raising children of their own—benefit when they are able to invest in our children without sacrificing their own future. Watch this video to learn why Congress must fund child care and help create a world where quality, affordable child care is a reality for all families. This video was created in partnership with the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Andrew Satter is the former senior director of Video at the Center for American Progress. Jessica Schuman is a former intern at the Center. Brooke Butler is the campaign manager for Early Childhood Policy at the Center.