This Labor Day, child care providers and parents are stepping up to the microphone. Child care is the backbone behind the economy and an essential need for families no matter your zip code or what you look like.  Childcare Changemakers is hosting a national VIRTUAL event on Labor Day where parents and providers across the country are invited to share their story and demand Congress fund child care now! RSVP and we will send you the Zoom link to join!

We are demanding elected officials to speak out in support of our demands and to include in any upcoming  budget:

1. Pay early care and education workers a base living wage and get to parity with K-12 teachers with similar education and experience

Child care and early education teachers are chronically underpaid, and states and the federal government have historically underfunded the subsidy system. Early care and education workers are currently paid only $10 an hour on average for the essential work they provide, barely enough to provide for the needs of their own families.

1. Guaranteed child care for every family who needs it

Only 1 in 6 families who are eligible for the limited number of government subsidies available now actually get assistance. Without financial support, parents have to choose between work and caring for their children, or rely on unstable or unsafe care arrangements. These investments will be used to expand eligibility and provide access to all qualified families.

1. An equitable system built for all families

Our current child care system faces too many injustices and burdens felt by too many, and most deeply in communities of color. With this funding, we can cap copayments and fees so that families pay no more than 7% of their income for care for their children, and lower income families pay even less. This is especially important for infant and toddler care, which is more expensive than a year of in-state college tuition in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Subsidies that cover the true cost of care, including good wages and benefits, while holding costs down for families, will drive an increase in the supply of care across our communities.