Washington, D.C. — A joint project between the Center for American Progress and researchers at the University of Minnesota released today provides a first-of-its-kind look at the nation’s child care deserts. This new visualization analyzes and symbolizes variation in local child care supply while adjusting for population density without regard for arbitrary administrative boundaries. The analysis’s methodology can be found here.
Accompanying this interactive is a new issue brief that looks at how the coronavirus pandemic could inflame the nation’s shortage of licensed child care, particularly for families of color, low- and middle-income families, and families in rural communities.
This unprecedented analysis comes on the same day as 100 of the nation’s leading economists have sent a letter to leaders in Congress calling on them to pass at least $50 billion in additional federal funding for child care. In their letter, the economists warn that failing to do so could further destabilize the child care industry, cause child care businesses to close, and lead to a drop in maternal labor force participation. The letter comes on the heels of the introduction of the bicameral Child Care Is Essential Act, a $50 billion industry rescue package.
Please click here to read the issue brief: “The Coronavirus Will Make Child Care Deserts Worse and Exacerbate Inequality” by Rasheed Malik, Katie Hamm, Won F. Lee, Elizabeth E. Davis, and Aaron Sojourner
Please click here to view the distanced-based child care deserts interactive.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected].
To find the latest CAP resources on the coronavirus, please visit our coronavirus resource page.