[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 132 (Monday, July 27, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H3861-H3862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CHILDCARE IS ESSENTIAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Massachusetts (Ms. Clark) for 5 minutes.

[[Page H3862]]

  

  Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in 
support of two pieces of legislation coming to the floor this week, the 
Child Care Is Essential Act, and the Child Care for Economic Recovery 
Act.
  This pandemic has exposed fault lines that exist just beneath the 
surface of our society. Whether it is a broken healthcare system or the 
consequences of our Nation's history of racial injustice, this pandemic 
is exacerbating harms done by systems that fail our families. Our 
system of childcare is no exception.
  Childcare is a powerful tool for educating our children and for 
fueling our economy. If we unite around its utility and take decisive 
action to save the childcare sector, we can help rebuild and revitalize 
our future.
  Simply put, childcare is essential. But ignored, underappreciated, 
and neglected for so long, our system of early care and education is 
now at a breaking point.
  Right now, 40 percent of our Nation's childcare centers and family 
childcare homes will be forced to close permanently without immediate 
financial support. Our children, moms, dads, doctors, nurses, teachers, 
small business owners, and over 23 million families will have nowhere 
to turn.
  Think about that. Before this pandemic, it was difficult and 
sometimes nearly impossible for working families to find quality, 
affordable childcare. If the pandemic destroys 4 out of every 10 
childcare spaces, how will parents return to work? How will businesses 
reopen? How many children will be pushed out of their classrooms?
  Great outcomes for an entire generation of children are at stake and 
could be impacted for years if we don't invest now in early care and 
education. With proper investment, childcare can combat the economic 
and social inequities of our time, in addition to providing a 
foundation for our children. What is more, with an investment in 
childcare, we can stabilize and secure American families.
  Before the pandemic, childcare costs often exceeded a family's rent 
or mortgage payment, driving parents out of the labor market entirely. 
Parents of color face even more hurdles and costs in finding 
affordable, high-quality care.
  Economists are predicting that losing access to childcare is not just 
about losing 2 or 3 years of income. It is an entirely different 
trajectory for the rest of a parent's life. This also 
disproportionately impacts women in the workplace.
  The rising costs of childcare are associated with a 13 percent 
decline in employment of mothers with children under 5. Investing in 
childcare is about ensuring moms can pay the bills and pursue their 
dreams. It is also an investment in opportunity and in equality for our 
Nation's mothers.
  These bills will also honor our Nation's caregivers, who provide an 
essential service to our children, economy, and community. In an 
industry where 96 percent of childcare professionals are women, and 40 
percent of them are women of color, over 325,000 have lost their jobs 
since February. This workforce is already underpaid, many of them 
barely making minimum wage.
  Our failure to value the work of caregivers is one of the many 
examples of how our society and how Congress fails to value women's 
work and, especially, the work of women of color.
  Finally, it is not just our families who rely on childcare. Childcare 
is essential to our entire economy.
  A survey from Northeastern University tells us that during the 
pandemic, working parents lose, on average, a full day of work 
productivity every week due to a lack of childcare. We know that has 
repercussions for our businesses.
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that in one State 
alone, a lack of childcare is estimated to cost employers almost as 
much as $3 billion annually in lost productivity, absences, and 
turnover rate.
  The solution is not complicated. The problem we face is solvable. The 
two bills before us are a critical first step. Our Nation needs to 
seize this opportunity to provide equity in education, parity for 
women, and stability in our economy.
  That is why I urge my colleagues to pass the Child Care Is Essential 
Act and the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act. It is time to invest 
in our children, our women, and our economy.

                          ____________________