Analysis: The economic recovery has a child care problem
BLOOMBERG
Laura Buckman/Bloomberg
The pandemic is crippling America’s already fragile child-care system. Jerletha McDonald has no kids enrolled at her day care in Arlington, Texas.
When the pandemic broke out, significant help arrived quickly for working parents in many rich countries, with one notable exception: the United States.
Now, nearly a year later, President Joe Biden aims to address what has become one of the most daunting obstacles to a full economic recovery, with policy proposals such as more money for child care and families. If people don t have care, then they can t get to work, said Heather Boushey, a member of Biden s Council of Economic Advisers, in an interview. Bigger changes to the system are urgent, she said, to help families during the pandemic and beyond. They are core to how we need to be thinking about the economic recovery.
Imagine a childcare system that allows parents to send their babies and toddlers to high-quality care, regardless of their financial resources. Cost is determined on a sliding scale according to income; some families pay as little as $51 a week. Caregivers are paid competitively, given avenues for career development, and are eligible to receive medical and retirement benefits. Families working non-traditional hours have access to 24/7 services. For older kids, there’s care before and after school, and even during vacation and teacher training days.
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This may sound like a dream from some distant Scandinavian childcare utopia, but such a program already exists in the United States. Only for members of the military, though.
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High-stakes negotiations underway in Washington, D.C., over a new round of pandemic relief funding could help California to achieve a relatively quick recovery or, if they fail, contribute to an economic slump that lasts for years, UC Berkeley scholars say.
In a series of interviews, experts said a new COVID-19 relief package could provide critical aid to vulnerable groups as the pandemic renews its devastating surge. Millions of unemployed workers are slated to lose their benefits on the day after Christmas, and hundreds of thousands of renters could face eviction in the new year. Hard-hit small businesses, child care centers, local governments and universities also face historic financial threats.