Center for American Progress

STATEMENT: Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act Is Vital To Ensure Child Care and Schools’ Safe Reopening
Press Statement

STATEMENT: Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act Is Vital To Ensure Child Care and Schools’ Safe Reopening

Washington, D.C. — This week, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act (CCCERA), a $430 billion relief package for child abuse and neglect prevention, child care, preschool, K-12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce development in light of the pandemic. Mara Rudman, executive vice president for Policy at CAP, released the following statement in support of the legislation:

School districts, child care centers and family child care homes, and the nation’s colleges and universities are shouldering staggering capital expenses while juggling unprecedented challenges in delivering child care and education. As a surge of new coronavirus cases and lockdowns threaten to further depress state revenues, cuts to public education and fluctuating enrollment could inflict permanent damage on the child care and education systems—and their workers—that support America’s youth from cradle through college. The CCCERA would help more parents return to work, save the child care industry from collapse, provide vital support to help schools reopen safely and sensibly, stabilize funding challenges in light of the pandemic, and heed off further learning loss that will disproportionately harm students from marginalized communities. Congress should pass it immediately.

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For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected].

To find the latest CAP resources on the coronavirus, visit our coronavirus resource page.