Momentum is starting to shift for child care. This movement—united as one powerful network—is building real power. Here’s what we got done together this month:

• Completed the first phase of a two-phase process to align on our shared policy principles. We’ll be sharing them publicly along with tools to amplify them soon!
• Created a plan with an amazing team of impacted parents and family members, providers, and state and national advocates to build the political power we need to win big federal investments in child care.  
• Launched our Provider Constituency Group! This leadership body of the Network includes providers of all types from all across the country who will work alongside leaders on our Parent/Family Constituency Group to help shape and advance all of The Network’s goals. 
• Planned to convene as a network in Washington, D.C. this October for our annual, regional Grassroots Assembly. Family members, providers, and organizers will get to connect and bond in-person while supporting local and national efforts to advance our agenda. 

While holding this long-term movement work, Network partners also worked together to create a robust response to the expiration of relief funding for child care that happens tomorrow, September 30. Over 1,000 state and national organizations signed on to a letter demanding that Congress act. Because of the power we’ve worked to create, Congress responded to our demand.

• Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA-05), Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), and Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (D-NY-16) introduced the Child Care Stabilization Act, which will provide $16B in emergency funding a year for the next five years. 
• This week, the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Dads Caucus held a press conference outside the Capitol urging Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Republican leadership to act—including by holding a floor vote on the Child Care Stabilization Act—before the looming child care funding cliff on September 30th.  

House Republicans are currently holding us hostage by reneging on funding levels agreed to in the summer’s bipartisan debt-limit agreement. If they don’t come into agreement by November 17, our government will shut down, which will further devastate child care. The White House estimates that roughly 10,000 children will lose access to child care starting in November as Head Start centers close without funding to operate. Read more about other impacts here. 

What to do: Below are lots of ways you and/or your organization can engage with Network partners across the country to push Congress to pass the Child Care Stabilization Act AND continue to engage in our shared movement to build the equitable, universal child care system that families, providers, kids, and our economy need. We look forward to seeing you online and in-person this fall!

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Network Offerings

We believe shared education and knowledge is key to a strong movement. Check out our videos & trainings here: childcareforeveryfamily.org/learn

The password to view all of our videos is united4childcare

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Partner Events & Important Dates

• 10/5: World Teachers Day
• 10/10: World Mental Health Day
• 10/10: Indigenous People’s Day
• 10/11: National Coming Out Day
• 10/24: Diwali
• 10/31: Halloween

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Resources, Tools, and Opportunities

• Collected social media toolkits & resources to talk about the Child Care Stabilization Act and the funding cliff (English/Spanish)
• The Child Care for Every Family Network is hiring an Organizing Director for Network Capacity
• The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) is hiring a Director Quality Assessment & Recognition
• The Southern Education Foundation for an Early Childhood Education Senior Fellow
• Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) is hiring for a Senior Director, Partnerships & Family Engagement.
• The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) is hiring a Director Quality Assessment & Recognition – Washington, DC – NAFCC Jobs

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Recent Data & Research

➡️ RAPID Survey: Who is providing for providers?

➡️ U.S  Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau: Interactive Map of Childcare Prices by Age of Children and Care Setting

➡️ ZERO TO THREE: State of Babies Yearbook: 2023

➡️ CLASP: Making Copayments Affordable As Child Care Emergency Funding Expires

➡️ Child Care Aware: State Session Round Up: Summer 2023

➡️ The Century Foundation: Research on how funding cliff will impact the country & each state

➡️ The Brookings Institute: Analysis – The coming end of federal child care funding threatens working mothers’ gains

➡️ Community Change: Childcare Changemakers Survey on child care cliff 

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What’s happening in the states?

LOOK AT THIS LIST! State-based organizations across the country are continuing to build power and drive narrative around child care. We love to see it. 

• California
  • San Diego Congresswoman pushes bill to avoid child care funding cliff 
  • Vital Childcare Funding Ready to Expire at End of MonthIndependent 
  • A Child Care Center’s Possible Closure Shows Dire Shortage in Marin County
• Colorado
  • Colorado child care providers uncertain of future, as federal assistance stops at end of the month
• Connecticut
  • How expiring pandemic federal funding for childcare will affect parents, kids 
  • End of ARPA funds could leave 37,000 kids without child care in CT 
• Florida
  • End of federal program funding childcare centers could impact local economy
  • Cost of childcare in Florida, already high, is about to go up. Here’s why.
  • Report: childcare challenges cost Florida more than $5 billion annually
• Georgia
  • Georgia childcare centers at risk of closing with federal funding set to expire 
• Illinois
  • With Federal Funding Ending, Child Care Advocates Warn of Looming Cliff 
• Indiana
  • Childcare programs brace for changes as pandemic relief funding set to expire 
• Kansas
  • Child care can cost more than a mortgage in Kansas 
• Kentucky
  • Local parents struggle amid rising child care costs 
  • Child care crisis looming in Tri-State as federal funding set to expire
• Louisiana
  • Child care programs at risk of closure nationwide, federal aid money expiring 
• Maine
  • Maine child care owners fear losing staff, closing classrooms if federal funding expires 
• Maryland
  • Child Care at a Crossroads: Finding child care is already difficult and expensive — and it’s about to get worse
• Massachusetts
  • Pandemic-era childcare funding set to expire this month in Massachusetts
• Michigan
  • Federal Covid-19 relief funding for childcare to expire September 30
  • Rising childcare costs impacting families of color in Michigan
• Missouri
  • Local child care programs looking for solutions ahead of loss of federal funds 
• Montana
  • End of federal child care funding expected to slam Montana providers
• New Jersey
  • NJ child care centers brace for funding ‘cliff’ as Congress scrambles for solution
• New York 
  • The typical NYC family is spending more than 25% of its income on childcare — triple what’s deemed affordable
  • Child Care Stabilization Act expiring, thousands of child care providers set to close if funding stops 
  • Child care advocates raise concerns about expiring federal grant
• Oregon
  • Oregon pauses awarding child care subsidies to low-income parents, citing surge in demand

Is there something in your state that we missed? Please email danielle@childcareforeveryfamily.org. 

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National News on Child Care

• Federal childcare funding is about to expire–and it could be terrible for the U.S. economy (Op-ed from Network member, All Our Kin in Fortune) 

• Expiration of Federal Emergency Childcare Funding: What to Know (Time)
  
• A child care cliff is looming, for an industry that has long been “broken” (Axios)
  
• Hot Girl Summer Is Giving Way to a Difficult Fall for Women (Business Insider)
  
• Child Care Is a National Emergency (Nonprofit Quarterly)
  
• A Top Priority for Generation Z? Child Care (Early Learning Nation)
  
• Shut Down Or Charge More? Child Care Centers Will Be Facing A Choice (Romper)

• Republicans distract with Biden impeachment as childcare cliff draws near (msnbc.com) (video)
  
• Opinion: The Hope at the Bottom of the ‘Child Care Cliff’ (The New York Times)

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Featured Leader: Herlina Alvarez