In America, only 1 in 7 eligible children actually receive subsidies to cover child care costs, and half of all Americans live in neighborhoods classified as child care deserts—areas with little to no access to quality care. Without congressionally funded access to affordable, high-quality child care, families, children, and early educators face the consequences of high costs of care and low wages. This is why the Early Childhood Policy team develops and promotes bold policy solutions to the child care crisis that will expand access and affordability, bringing an inclusive and racially equitable vision to life for all children and families.
Top 5 Actions Governors Can Take To Address the Child Care Shortage
Governors must take the lead in instituting policies that fairly compensate early childhood providers for the skilled work they perform, incentivize the creation of programs in child care deserts, and relieve families of the high cost of care.
Disparities in Housing, Health Care, Child Care, and Economic Security Affect Babies for Life
Social determinants of health, such as access to secure housing, family employment and economic stability, education, and child care, must be the focus of federal policies to support infant and toddler health.
Child care often is treated like a private family issue, but lack of access has cascading negative impacts on child care providers, small-business owners, and broader communities.
With additional funding, an existing federal subsidy program could forestall closures and supply losses in the child care sector until policymakers secure meaningful investments.
Women’s Stories on Economic Justice and Health Care
This CAP Action storybook features women in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire whose stories center on issues from prescription drug pricing and health insurance, to child care and paid leave.
New, comprehensive data on child care workers in center-based programs—analyzing their demographics, education, experience, and wages—reveal widening pay gaps and inequality.
Major child care investments pay for themselves through a range of benefits, including improved child and family health, bolstered educational outcomes, and economic recovery.
Q&A With CAP’s New Senior Vice President for Education, Jesse O’Connell
Jesse O'Connell, the new senior vice president for Education at the Center for American Progress, talks about the opportunities this moment offers to improve early childhood, K-12, and higher education in the United States.
Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice
We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.
We apply a racial equity lens in developing and advancing policies that aim to root out entrenched systemic racism to ensure everyone has an opportunity to thrive.
