ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Calls on Congress to Meet Funding Request to Prevent Families from Losing Child Care
The Biden-Harris Administration continues to call on Congress to reach a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement to fund the government and provide the emergency resources requested by the Administration for critical bipartisan national security and domestic priorities—including $16 billion in funding to sustain the child care sector. This funding request would support more than 220,000 child care providers across the country that serve a total of more than 10 million kids—preventing families across the country from losing child care.
Last week, Washington Senator Patty Murray, Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee, Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee, Director Jennifer Klein, and Director Neera Tanden hosted a press call on the request. Read more below about what the Administration's request would mean for communities across the country:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Biden and congressional Democrats push new spending that includes half-a-billion for childcare in Pa.
[Jonathan Salant, 11/3/23]
Administration officials and members of Congress said Thursday that the money, part of a proposed $16 billion allocation to continue expanded child care for one year, would help 7,000 providers and almost 376,000 kids in the state.
"It would be a needed influx of resources," said Diane Barber, executive director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association. "For Pennsylvania, obviously it would help us to retain and attract more staff and allow us to continue to work to make child care more affordable for our families."
The money would replace the extra child care funds included in Mr. Biden's 2021 stimulus legislation, which expired Sept. 30.
Motherly: Biden asked Congress to fix the childcare crisis—with $16 billion in funding
[Alexandra Frost, 11/1/23]
In September, parents and caregivers watched as we approached the cut-off for pandemic-related government funding for childcare coming to an end. Over 3 million kids' childcare placements hung in the balance. Now, since the date has come and gone without resolution, Biden announced last week his request for Congress to intervene.
Specifically, he requested $16 billion in child-care funding, which would be distributed to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, to stabilize the 225,000 providers who are set to be negatively impacted by funding changes, Washington Post reports. As childcare centers wait for additional funding, 1 in 3 face closure, with the potential to cause upheaval for parents' day-to-day necessities to continue working.
Parents.com: Congress Urged to Pass Critical Funding to Prevent Families from Losing Child Care
[Beth Ann Mayer, 11/2/23]
The White House believes these funds are critical for sustaining childcare providers.
"There are already reports of providers needing to raise parent fees to help cover operating costs that were subsidized by child care stabilization funding or reduce staff wages, exacerbating challenges in hiring and retaining qualified staff," according to a White House fact sheet on the funding. "Some providers may be forced to close without additional resources. If this trajectory continues, hardworking families will pay the price—parents will be left with fewer childcare options [and] higher costs—preventing parents from working and holding back our entire economy."
New Hampshire Bulletin: NH would see $31 million more for child care under Biden's request to Congress
[Annmarie Timmins, 11/2/23]
The Biden administration's request to Congress for $16 billion in new child care funding would bring New Hampshire $31 million, according to a White House announcement Thursday. The money would benefit an estimated 320 providers and 29,700 children, the White House's communication office said.
"This directly relates to the biggest issue that families face today and that is the high cost of living," said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut during a press briefing. "The child care industry was in crisis before we had a global pandemic."
DeLauro added: "Nobody is talking about bells whistles and frills here. This is to try to get the industry back on its feet. And child care is an industry."
Maine Public Media: Maine could see $46 million for childcare under federal proposal
[Kaitlyn Budion, 11/2/23]
Maine could see $46 million for childcare under a White House proposal to bolster funding for childcare across the country.
According to estimates released today, that funding would support over 1,500 childcare providers in the state, and more than 47,000 children.
Deseret News: How President Biden proposes to stabilize the child care industry
[Lois Collins, 11/2/23]
President Joe Biden has requested $16 billion in supplemental funding to stabilize the child care industry. The White House said Thursday that the funding would support at least 220,000 child care providers nationwide who collectively serve more than 10 million children.
The administration said the plan would advance women's economic security, provide children with a strong educational start and support underserved communities.
The 715 Newsroom: WI Requests Funding for Child Care
[Morgan McCarthy, 11/3/23]
Wisconsin could get 229-million dollars to help fund more than 319-thousand children in daycares.
The funding is part of an emergency request to Congress by the Biden Administration after pandemic daycare funding ended. Biden is proposing 16-billion-dollars to help daycares pay staff and keep costs lower for parents. 80-percent of daycare centers in the U-S received the pandemic funding, which ended September 30th. The Wisconsin Legislature rejected a special session called by Governor Tony Evers in September. After that, Evers announced 170-million dollars in emergency funding to help lower childcare costs.
KXLY Spokane: President Biden proposes $16 billion lifeline amidst looming childcare crisis
[Jordan Smith, 11/2/23]
Sue Villella, the director of the Southeast Daycare Center has worked in childcare for 37 years. Villella says her daycare is authorized to look after 95 kids, but can only take care of 80 because of a staffing shortage.
She knows the financial obstacles all too well. "One of the main problems I see here is people who need childcare; they make a couple dollars over that limit and therefore they're rejected," said Villella.
Most families don't qualify for childcare assistance programs, and are on the hook for thousands of dollars of care. It's putting families in difficult positions.
"It gets down to, 'Do I get childcare? Do I work, or do I try to get state assistance? Stay at home with my kids?'" asked Villella. "It's difficult if the funding isn't there to support the need that they have for childcare."
Villella says she'd use the funding to raise the pay of her employees, and lower her prices for families who don't qualify for assistance.
President Biden is calling on Congress to approve 16-billion dollars in emergency funding for childcare centers across the country. This urgent call for help comes as 24-billion dollars in pandemic era assistance for childcare facilities is drying up this year. Without this funding [...] lawmakers fear many facilities will be forced to shut their doors [...] lay off staff [...] or hike up their prices even more. Senator Patty Murray didn't mince words about the significance of this funding. Senator Patty Murray: "What we're talking about today is really urgent funding to keep the childcare industry from crumbling." In Washington... the average cost of childcare is about 12-thousand dollars a year per child. This emergency funding would allocate about 245-million dollars to Washington childcare facilities.
In a White House press call today, there was an urgent message to get President Biden's supplemental childcare funding request passed. Without that, they say there's a strong chance many Americans will not be able to find or afford quality child care. We are deeply worried that we will see thousands upon thousands of people lose the coverage they need. Tens of thousands families lose access to childcare if we do not have these funds. If passed, Utah stands to receive 199 million dollars in funds. Those on the White House press call urged residents across America to contact their representatives to support the funding.
Tonight, the White House is urging Congress to make childcare more affordable for working families. The administration wants lawmakers to approve 16 billion dollars in supplemental funding to help cover these costs. They say the money would serve 10 million kids nationwide. Now, families in Washington pay some of the highest costs in the country for child care. Our state would get more than 244 million dollars in the President's proposal, according to data collected by Annie E. Casey Foundation. Childcare costs in the US have increased 220% since 1990. It highlights the average cost of care for a toddler in our state is roughly $14,000 a year and that is higher than you dubs yearly undergrad tuition. The foundation stats indicate only 5 other states pay more for childcare than Washington.
[...] It would support childcare providers serving 10 million children across the country. Of that $16 billion, $657 million would come to Georgia. That would support more than 4000 childcare providers. A total of 352,000 children could be served better in our state. Rosa DeLauro says this is a serious crisis. It's about wages for the workers who are there and helping the providers to stay in business. They are going out of business because they can't afford it. this is a serious crisis.
…when you're looking at how much childcare costs. Expanded funding that Congress approved during the pandemic expired in September. So, these numbers don't reflect that change. In fact, Bank of America expects prices to rise even higher. and that's why the Biden administration is hoping to fix the problem. Just last week, the white house asked Congress for 16 billion dollars in child care funding. However, the request could die in the Republican led House.
For perspective, in DC, the cost of sending a toddler to a childcare center is just over $24,000 a year. Part of the issue for many Americans is pandemic era federal childcare funding. It ran out at the end of September. According to a new analysis from the Bank of America Institute more than half of Americans live in what is called childcare deserts, where there are more than three young children for every licensed childcare slot. The Biden administration is asking Congress for $16 billion for another year of funding to help keep providers afloat.
Turning now to Washington. The need for childcare, specifically the funding for child care. Major concern across our nation here in Oklahoma. Children account for a 3rd of the state's population. Of those, half are young enough to require child care. And it's something a lot of families simply struggled of for the combat that issue, President Joe Biden included a request for child care funding as part of his latest domestic funding request, something advocates say is necessary as child care across the country faces crisis status. So this is a huge problem for parents in this country. They are already struggling and that they are going to be pushed out of the workforce if we don't make sure that we have these child care, stabilization parents. The request will face a steep hurdle in the House as Republicans focus on cutting back on spending funding is expected, though, to be a top priority for lawmakers. The government, by the way, set to shut down after November 17th.
Joseph R. Biden, ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Calls on Congress to Meet Funding Request to Prevent Families from Losing Child Care Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/367528