Amidst a seemingly divided political landscape, child care stands out as a shared priority that transcends party lines. As a prime example of this, Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have come together to introduce a comprehensive child care package aimed at addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing American families today.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We had the honor and privilege of sitting down with Senator Britt and Senator Kaine to delve into the details of their proposal, what this effort means for the future of child care in the U.S, and the significance of bipartisan collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Britt:<\/strong> It\u2019s personal because of my own experiences as a mom, as well as how it affects the small business community, which is near and dear to my heart. A little over a decade ago, my husband and I had to spend astronomical amounts of money to send our two babies to child care. It felt like we were writing checks for college. Today, those costs have risen even more, and families are struggling to access affordable, quality options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When the costs of child care are too high, parents face the question of whether it\u2019s financially rational to return to work. If parents need or want to work, child care should not be the impediment. This disproportionately affects women. This is where it really becomes an even bigger workforce issue, too. Every industry in America right now is facing labor shortages\u2014from manufacturing and agriculture to nursing and education. I am committed to being a voice for moms and dads across our nation in solving this crisis. We are going to put parents back in the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Kaine: <\/strong>The lack of child care is hurting children, families, and our economy. I remember well the challenges of finding great child care when our kids were young. Everywhere I go, I hear from parents about how difficult it is to find high-quality, affordable care for their children, and many parents have been forced out of the workforce as a result. I\u2019m proud that one of my adult children works as a child care provider. But many other dedicated providers who love their jobs are being driven out of the field by low wages. It\u2019s clear more must be done to address this crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Britt:<\/strong> It is my view that the child care market cannot be \u201cfixed\u201d with one single solution. It will take a comprehensive approach. The child care system must be improved on multiple levels, and State and local leader buy-in is essential. Our bipartisan, pro-family solution acknowledges that reality while addressing both supply and demand challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Child Care Availability and Affordability Act uses tax credits to help low and middle-income parents better afford child care costs while also incentivizing businesses to provide child care for their employees. Our bill would:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bottom line is that this will save parents a significant amount of money annually without creating a government entitlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Britt:<\/strong> Today, the average cost of child care in Jefferson County, Alabama, is $10,662 per year. As it currently stands, working parents with one child, assuming an employer contributes to their Dependent Care Assistance Program, would have to pay $5,662 out of pocket for child care. But with our bill that out-of-pocket cost goes down to $662. That\u2019s a nearly $5,000 savings annually for a single mom or working couple \u2013 nearly $420 a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Kaine: <\/strong>The Child Care Workforce Act<\/em> is under the jurisdiction of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which I am a member of. My son is a child care provider, so I know firsthand how low wages can make it difficult for child care workers to do the work they love. Low wages have pushed workers out of the field, which decreases the supply of child care providers and makes it even harder for families to access care. This bill, which is modeled off of work happening in Virginia, D.C., and other states across the country, seeks to address the supply issue by creating a new competitive grant program to increase the number of child care workers and reduce turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Britt:<\/strong> In 2022, a collaborative partnership led by the Alabama Partnership for Children, Alabama School Readiness Alliance, and VOICES for Alabama\u2019s Children studied the state of child care in Alabama. This amazing group went county-by-county and did everything from surveys to town halls with parents, child care employees, and providers. They published their report in January of this year. Overall, the project found three top issues to be nearly universal \u2013 parents are paying too much for child care, providers are struggling with staff shortages, and employers are concerned with their employees\u2019 lack of access to reliable, high-quality childcare arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue of child care is massive, so this helped inform our focus on affordability, accessibility, and workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Kaine: <\/strong>Families have been hit particularly hard since the pandemic. While we\u2019ve made a lot of progress to recover and rebuild, we still need to do more. More than half of families live in child care deserts. Many families are put on long wait lists to access care. Parents haven\u2019t been able to go back to work because they can\u2019t find care for their kids. We need to do more to make it easier for parents to access child care and provide them with the opportunity to get back into the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Britt: <\/strong>The issue of child care access and affordability isn\u2019t political. It\u2019s an issue affecting countless American families trying to set their child on a pathway to achieving their American Dream. It\u2019s an issue that disproportionately affects women\u2019s ability to return to the workplace. And it\u2019s an issue that is limiting the growth of Main Street small businesses in every corner of our nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have an obligation to work together to solve nonpartisan challenges like this one in bipartisan fashion. By finding common ground and building consensus, we can support hard working moms and dads across Alabama and Virginia, while tackling America\u2019s labor force shortages. Our solution is far from the end all be all, but it is a big step in the right direction that both sides of the aisle can rally around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Kaine: <\/strong>This is an issue that impacts parents of both parties and all backgrounds. Parents know that child care can set their kids up for success, but the cost is too high and parents are spending a huge chunk of their budget on child care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The national average annual price of child care was $11,582 in 2023<\/a>. In addition, employers are struggling to hire the workers they need, and many parents aren\u2019t able to get back to work because of a lack of access to child care. Making it easier for parents to access child care will be good for children, families, and our workforce, and Senator Britt and I will keep working together to gain support for our bipartisan legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) discuss their new child care legislation aimed at expanding access and affordability for U.S. families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1438,"featured_media":4594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"care_post_updated_flag":true,"care_updated_date":"2024-09-30 00:00:00","last_update":"2024-09-30","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[27,35,17,34,33],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSenator Britt, the cost of child care is ever-rising, draining nearly a quarter of families\u2019 household incomes annually. Can you explain what the <\/strong>Child Care Availability and Affordability Act<\/em><\/strong> has the potential to do for affordability?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Senator Britt further broke down exactly how this bill could impact families with an example.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Senator Kaine, while cost is top of mind for many families and often gets the most buzz, we\u2019re glad to see that this package also tackles accessibility issues by expanding the workforce. Can you tell me a bit more about what the <\/strong>Child Care Workforce Act<\/em><\/strong> has the potential to do for accessibility?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Senator Britt, can you share what kind of feedback or input you received from child care experts, parents, and providers in the development of this legislation, and how their voices helped shape the final bill?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In our 2024 Cost of Care Report<\/a>, we found that 88% of respondents say a candidate\u2019s position on childcare policy will influence their vote in November\u2019s election. Senator Kaine, why do you think child care has been catapulted to this level of national conversation?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Finally, why do you believe it\u2019s particularly important for child care to be an issue that transcends party lines, and further, how do you plan to garner support for this bill from your fellow Senators?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about Child Care Availability and Affordability Act<\/em> and the Child Care Workforce Act<\/em> here<\/strong><\/a> and here<\/strong><\/a>, respectively.<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"