WHAT WE ARE READING, JUNE 2022
Mom Congress
Below are the news articles and reports that caught our eye this month, including several new reports about the impact of the child care crisis on families and on the workforce. We also highlight an article focused on some of the best and most innovative policy solutions from around the country to address the child care workforce shortage. We will be covering all of this and more at the 2022 Mom Congress Convention in September.
Democrats Propose Historic Child Care Investment Through Reconciliation
It’s been more than two years since child care program closures shined a spotlight on our nation’s fragile child care system. And while other aspects of the economy have shown signs of recovery, the child care sector continues to be in crisis. Families cannot find and afford reliable care, providers are closing their doors, and long-time early educators are leaving the field because of unlivable wages. This is a classic example of a market failure— this crisis is not going to solve itself and requires government intervention.
Cost of Child Care Is Driving Some Parents Out of the Workforce
NJ lawmakers have proposals to stem the growing problem.
Workers — especially women — say the high cost of child care is driving them out of the labor force. Meanwhile, daycares struggle to retain staff and keep up with rising costs. Could new proposals out of Trenton help?
Report - 3 Ways Federal Investments Can Address Child Care Deserts in America
Half of families across the country live in a child care desert.
Report - The Child Care Workforce Shortage: Solutions From Around the Country
A new report from the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC) compiles some of the best and most innovative policies from around the country to help guide states on how to address the child care workforce shortage. In the report, ECE notes that the child care workforce shortage is not caused by one issue, but rather a series of endemic problems that require a multi-faceted approach. For this reason, they discuss 5 categories for states to address: compensation, educational & credentialing support, hiring processes (including background checks), subsidy policy, and Covid-19 support. They also emphasize that Congress must pass a robust investment for child care for innovations to continue.
‘Emotional Slap in the Face’: Moms Want Stillbirths to Be Covered by Paid Family Leave
“Does a woman not have a right in this country to heal her body after delivering a child?”
Surprising Key to Keeping the California Workforce Strong
Policymakers must support the child care system used by most families.
Surprisingly, the vast majority of child care in the United States is home-based. Nationwide, home-based child care (HBCC) accounts for 97 percent of all child care settings and serves almost two-thirds of the children ages birth to five who are in care.
It’s a Terrifying Time to Have Kids in America. It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way.
A recent article from Vox discusses the obstacles families in the US face when raising a child, but also offers hope and possible solutions. Excerpt:
Also, child care costs more than college in many states, if you can even find a provider — more than half of Americans live in child care deserts, where there are more than three kids for every spot in day care.
Meanwhile, all the problems for parents that existed before the pandemic still exist today, and in many cases, they’ve gotten worse. Finding child care, for example, is more difficult than ever, with costs for families rising an average of 41 percent between 2018 and 2020, due to the higher cost of safely caring for kids during a pandemic. Costs have grown even more since then, with the price of child care outpacing inflation. Thousands of child care centers have shut down permanently in the pandemic, making child care deserts an even bigger problem than before.
Factsheet - The State of U.S. Mothers in 2022
A recent factsheet from New America includes helpful data and resources about the need to support moms and families, as well as possible solutions.
Imagine a World Where Men Had to Breastfeed Their Babies
As news of the American baby formula shortage spread last week, I was once again reminded of the ways in which new motherhood, venerated in theory, is not fully supported in practice…..It is insulting to the many women who cannot breastfeed or cannot produce enough milk to keep their babies fed, and it is insulting to the women who choose formula because it is the most rational decision they can make — because their babies need it, because they can’t or don’t want to pump at work, because formula allows fathers to participate more.
The Parental Burnout Test
Pearson worked with the researchers behind the survey to create a parental burnout test that was published this week in The Times. The 10 questions “can help clarify how depleted you feel — so hopefully you can get the help you need,” Pearson wrote.