National ECE News & Reports
The pandemic upended child care. It could be devastating for women.
The coronavirus pandemic has pushed the country’s fragile child-care ecosystem to the brink. Facilities in an industry with already-small profit margins struggled to access state and federal aid as first-come, first-served small-business loans ran out. They are now facing costly safety precautions, such as limiting class sizes and purchasing masks, gloves, and sanitizing cleaner. Industry groups predict that one-third to half of child-care centers may not reopen at all.
Click here to read the full story from the Washington Post.
Who's Paying Now? The Explicit and Implicit Costs of the Current Early Care and Education System
The chronic underfunding of early care and education is compromising the well-being of educators and the children they teach while threatening the economic security of millions of families in the U.S. The current system demands large contributions from the parents of young children, both through payments for services and through forgone income when parents drop out of or reduce their participation in paid labor markets to provide care on their own. Investments from federal, state, and local governments have provided some relief for parents, but those investments have generally been far too small.
Click here to read the full report from the Economic Policy Institute.
