COVID-19 pandemic funding of American child care set to expire in September

Historic funding was secured in the American Rescue Plan to stabilize child care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is ending in September 2023.

A recent report by the Century Foundation (TCF) estimates that more than 70,000 child care programs will probably close, and leave 3.2 million children without child care.

In Virginia, 88,265 children will lose child care, at least 2,861 child care workers will lose their jobs, Virginia parents will lose $280 million in earnings after forced work hour cuts or leave, and 1,383 child care programs will close.

U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, as well as U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon and Sara Jacobs of Colorado are leading a group of colleagues to call on President Joe Biden to support needed funding to prevent a national wave of child care closures.

The effort also includes U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner and Reps. Jennifer McClellan and Jennifer Wexton, all of Virginia.

“We urge you to join us in supporting an investment of $16 billion a year by any and all means possible — including supporting Congress in efforts to extend the Child Care Stabilization grants passed in ARPA — and through emergency funding for child care in any supplemental appropriations package put forth by the Administration,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers note that the American child care system was in crisis before the pandemic, and that it has been one of the slowest sectors to recover from the pandemic with wages remaining unacceptably low for the child care workforce.

“The broken child care market has resulted in an impossible tension between families, workers, and providers: child care providers cannot afford to run their businesses or pay adequate wages to their staff using revenue from parents alone, while child care costs are unaffordable and unsustainable for working families,” the lawmakers wrote. “…The impending fiscal cliff will be devastating to child care programs, children and their families, the child care workforce, and the nation’s economy.”