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What Biden s recovery plan for families means for California s children edsource.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from edsource.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
President Joe Biden’s child care relief bill, part of the sweeping $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that the president signed into law Thursday, may not end the growing child care crisis, but it will throw a much-needed lifeline to a field on the brink of collapse, early childhood advocates say.
“Our early educator community has been desperately underfunded for decades. Even before the pandemic, most child care providers particularly those in communities of color lived below the poverty level, relying on government support and social service programs like Medicaid and food stamps to meet their family’s basic needs. Those inequalities have been magnified during COVID-19,” said Gina Fromer, CEO of Children’s Council of San Francisco, a resource and referral agency.
Children play at a family child care home in Oakland.
Credit: Michael Collier/EdSource Today
Children play at a family child care home in Oakland.
February 5, 2021
In response to the escalating child care crisis, one of many pressing social issues exacerbated by the pandemic, the new Biden administration has pledged to offer relief to child care providers struggling to stay open, as well as to help parents struggling to pay for child care.
Early childhood advocates cheer the relief package but also warn that deeper reform may be needed.
The core of Biden’s early childhood relief proposal involves a $40 billion pot of money, including $25 billion earmarked to stabilize the child care industry. The money would go toward helping providers pay for rent, utilities and payroll, as well as increased costs due to the pandemic, such as personal protective equipment and ventilation.