Congress must act to avert the looming childcare crisis | Editorial

Without federal action, three million children in America could abruptly lose access to childcare at the end of the month, a development that could push many parents — including, experts say, a disproportionate number of women — out of the workforce.

Roughly $37 billion in pandemic-era stabilization grants — which have ensured financial access to childcare for families — will lapse on Sept. 30, leaving families with no guarantee of continued care.

President Joe Biden and Congress must act to avert this catastrophe. More than just that, however, the country needs to find a more comprehensive path to supporting mothers, children, and families. In the childcare world, costs are too high and pay is too low. American parents do not get the support other developed countries treat as routine.

The United States is one of only six countries that does not offer any form of national paid leave. (Fourteen states — including New Jersey and Delaware, but not Pennsylvania — and the District of Columbia have enacted paid leave programs.) By contrast, just over the U.S. border, parents in Canada receive a year of paid leave.

Meanwhile, surveys have found that one in four American working mothers returns to their job within two weeks of giving birth. Most American fathers fail to take their full allotted time off, often due to social or career pressures. The majority of working dads take fewer than 10 days away from the workplace, exacerbating the pressure on moms to fill the gap.

Expanding family leave in the U.S. so it gets closer to international standards isn’t just the right thing to do for families and babies, it would also help reduce the overall cost of childcare.

This is a particular concern for infants, who are placed in day-care centers at very early ages when their parents are forced to return to work. Per federal government recommendations, a group of eight 4-year-olds can be supervised by just one adult, while one adult should only care for two or three infants at a time. Infants also require smaller groups than older children, meaning care for infants also requires more space and more staff members, factors that also drive up pricing.

The Center for American Progress found that providing infant care costs $1,230 per month. Providing high-quality infant care, with adequate wages and sick time for workers, would cost over $2,200 each month.

But the typical American worker earns about $4,400 each month. This means that infant care will never be affordable to working-class families absent a significant subsidy.

Allowing parents to take longer leave would reduce how many newborns need care centers, bringing down the cost of childcare for all children. This would benefit all families, including those who choose not to take their entire leave.

While they’re fixing childcare, Congress must also act to restore the enhanced child tax credit. The expiration of this benefit led to a surge in child poverty, which jumped from 5% to 12%.

Given how many states have criminalized abortion in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, failing to offer new parents this modest support seems especially egregious. Evidence is mounting that direct cash assistance is more useful than subsidies, as families know best how to weigh their own needs.

While no one has ever claimed that parenting is easy, the federal government should strive to make it slightly less onerous. That starts with averting the incoming childcare crisis.