Dear Member of Congress,

The struggle is real when it comes to finding high-quality, affordable early learning opportunities for our little ones. Child care and pre-K costs are sky high—in fact, in 30 states and the District of Columbia, infant care costs exceed the average cost of college tuition. Approximately half of American families live in a “child care desert,” meaning they can’t access the quality child care they need. And early learning providers, 94% of whom are women, are struggling significantly since child care is one of the lowest paying industries in the United States.

We need real solutions to this national crisis, which is why I am asking you to co-sponsor and support the Child Care for Working Families Act introduced by Senator Patty Murray, Senator Bob Casey, and Representative Bobby Scott.

The important piece of legislation would:

• Lower child care costs for low-income and middle-income families to a maximum of 7% of household income through a sliding scale, regardless of how many children they have.
• Support universal access to high-quality preschool programs for all low- and middle-income 3 and 4 year-olds.
• Significantly improve compensation and training for the child care workforce to ensure that our nation’s teachers and caregivers have the support they need.
• Assist parents in selecting the child care provider of their choice—whether that be a center or family child care home, friend, relative or neighbor. In addition, improving care during non-traditional hours to help meet the needs of working families.
• Support for more inclusive, high-quality child care providers and centers for children with disabilities.
• Help all Head Start programs meet new expanded duration requirements and provide full-day, full-year programming.

Stand up for our littlest learners, working families, child care providers, and our economy by supporting the Child Care for Working Families Act.

Thank you,