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[Pages H3861-H3862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHILDCARE IS ESSENTIAL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Massachusetts (Ms. Clark) for 5 minutes.
[[Page H3862]]
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in
support of two pieces of legislation coming to the floor this week, the
Child Care Is Essential Act, and the Child Care for Economic Recovery
Act.
This pandemic has exposed fault lines that exist just beneath the
surface of our society. Whether it is a broken healthcare system or the
consequences of our Nation's history of racial injustice, this pandemic
is exacerbating harms done by systems that fail our families. Our
system of childcare is no exception.
Childcare is a powerful tool for educating our children and for
fueling our economy. If we unite around its utility and take decisive
action to save the childcare sector, we can help rebuild and revitalize
our future.
Simply put, childcare is essential. But ignored, underappreciated,
and neglected for so long, our system of early care and education is
now at a breaking point.
Right now, 40 percent of our Nation's childcare centers and family
childcare homes will be forced to close permanently without immediate
financial support. Our children, moms, dads, doctors, nurses, teachers,
small business owners, and over 23 million families will have nowhere
to turn.
Think about that. Before this pandemic, it was difficult and
sometimes nearly impossible for working families to find quality,
affordable childcare. If the pandemic destroys 4 out of every 10
childcare spaces, how will parents return to work? How will businesses
reopen? How many children will be pushed out of their classrooms?
Great outcomes for an entire generation of children are at stake and
could be impacted for years if we don't invest now in early care and
education. With proper investment, childcare can combat the economic
and social inequities of our time, in addition to providing a
foundation for our children. What is more, with an investment in
childcare, we can stabilize and secure American families.
Before the pandemic, childcare costs often exceeded a family's rent
or mortgage payment, driving parents out of the labor market entirely.
Parents of color face even more hurdles and costs in finding
affordable, high-quality care.
Economists are predicting that losing access to childcare is not just
about losing 2 or 3 years of income. It is an entirely different
trajectory for the rest of a parent's life. This also
disproportionately impacts women in the workplace.
The rising costs of childcare are associated with a 13 percent
decline in employment of mothers with children under 5. Investing in
childcare is about ensuring moms can pay the bills and pursue their
dreams. It is also an investment in opportunity and in equality for our
Nation's mothers.
These bills will also honor our Nation's caregivers, who provide an
essential service to our children, economy, and community. In an
industry where 96 percent of childcare professionals are women, and 40
percent of them are women of color, over 325,000 have lost their jobs
since February. This workforce is already underpaid, many of them
barely making minimum wage.
Our failure to value the work of caregivers is one of the many
examples of how our society and how Congress fails to value women's
work and, especially, the work of women of color.
Finally, it is not just our families who rely on childcare. Childcare
is essential to our entire economy.
A survey from Northeastern University tells us that during the
pandemic, working parents lose, on average, a full day of work
productivity every week due to a lack of childcare. We know that has
repercussions for our businesses.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that in one State
alone, a lack of childcare is estimated to cost employers almost as
much as $3 billion annually in lost productivity, absences, and
turnover rate.
The solution is not complicated. The problem we face is solvable. The
two bills before us are a critical first step. Our Nation needs to
seize this opportunity to provide equity in education, parity for
women, and stability in our economy.
That is why I urge my colleagues to pass the Child Care Is Essential
Act and the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act. It is time to invest
in our children, our women, and our economy.
____________________