Include $50 Million for Child Care in COVID-19 Relief Package

We deeply appreciate the initial investments made through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help mitigate the impact of the current public health crisis on children, families, and child care providers. The $3.5 billion in emergency funding provided through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), along with other supports provided in the package, such as paid leave and loans for small businesses, are a critical first step in helping child care providers and families survive the growing public health and economic crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19. As the scope and scale of the devastation grows, however, it is clear that additional support is needed that reflects their essential status in providing care to the children of front-line workers and serving as the bedrock for a future recovery and we are already hearing from state child care administrators that CARES funding will not be enough to meet the need. In a preliminary review of new survey data from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), half of respondents report that their center is completely closed, and another 15% report that they are closed to everyone except children of essential personnel. This, along with the data on the implications of statemandated closures, translates into hundreds of thousands of program closures across the country, plus many more programs who are operating with significantly reduced enrollment. Since NAEYC's first survey indicated that nearly half of programs would not survive a closure of more than two weeks without support, we know that the long-term viability of child care, and therefore the viability of our nation’s economy, is dependent on additional financial relief from Congress. Congress must act to support additional, significant, and dedicated funding for child care to offer immediate relief to the sector.