The childcare sector has been rocked by the pandemic, first by shutdown orders that closed many providers’ doors, then by lagging enrollment as economies opened up, and then by an acute staffing shortage in a tight labor market where workers only make about $13 per hour at the nationwide median. Over the last few years, however, Congress responded many times, sending states unprecedented billions in federal funding to support the industry.
And in a lot of Red states with their abortion bans they will seeing an increase in children born who would benefit from these programs. It’s like Republicans in Red States can’t understand cause and effect, or even correlations. @lizzymom
From Missouri: The Missouri House debated for over eight hours last Tuesday on a budget that is roughly $2 billion less than the one Gov. Mike Parson ® proposed last January, cutting not only the $4.5 million Parson had slated for libraries, but also costs for diversity initiatives, childcare and pre-kindergarten programs.
There are 399 public libraries in MO, so each library would lose just over $10K. Now yes that’s a large number unless your public library or library system is in a major urban/suburban area where with rising property values can offset that loss.
The pandemic was a global nightmare… but I won’t remember it that way. The curse was also a miracle that allowed me to be home for child’s preschool years (and yes I am very cognizant of my privilege as a white collar worker). That sweet period when a child wants its parent’s connection most. I was there for it and that was something that I never would have had otherwise. I already see that US society is rushing to “return to normal” including long days spent in an office with coworkers rather than loved ones. And I am again getting that feeling of “how the heck do we do this? How do we piece together work and childcare and family and love?” So sad that we are so quick to forget what is really important.
It included $3.5 billion in supplementary discretionary funding through the Child Care and Development Block Grant in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of March 2020, and another $10 billion in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act that December. Then Democrats included $15 billion in discretionary and $3.55 million in mandatory Child Care and Development Block Grant funds, plus about $24 billion in stabilization grants for childcare providers, in the American Rescue Plan Act of March 2021.
Before the crisis, the state only paid childcare providers for the children who showed up, a number that can vary considerably from day to day and week to week. Instead, with the help of federal money, the board of education adopted a permanent, more reliable policy similar to the model used by private providers: It started paying based on enrollment, no matter who showed up each week. It also began paying providers what it actually costs to provide care, instead of what local parents are able to afford, giving providers more to work with. The state also gave childcare providers wage supplements paid for by federal pandemic relief.
Providing both enough funding and a proper funding structure was all that was needed to make it work.
Who could have guessed that?
Oh wait, every Democrat since forever and who were able to slip this past Republicans in the COVID funding bills.
