In response to the release of the Murray-Kaine Child Care and Preschool Proposal, The Century Foundation’s director of women’s economic justice Julie Kashen said:

“How we care for our children is one of the most fundamental aspects of our society. At a time when parents feel more alone than ever, this new proposal makes clear that there are parents, and grandparents, in Congress who have their backs. The revamped proposal fits into the current reconciliation framework, ensuring that states quickly receive funding to lower costs for families, build out the supply of child care and pre-K, and raise compensation for early educators. It will put the United States on the path toward the comprehensive child care and early learning system we need.

The status quo is unacceptable. If Congress does nothing, families will continue to experience high and rising child care prices, resulting in even more unaffordable child care. Early educators will continue to be poorly paid and leave the sector, causing more staffing shortages. As a result, more providers will be forced to close down. Families will continue to struggle with this collective crisis, as parents—especially mothers—are pushed out of the labor market, sacrificing much-needed income and reducing the supply of valued workers for employers.

Even before the pandemic, we were failing families and children, but the situation now is more dire than ever. Families cannot wait another day.”