[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H65]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMITTING TO AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE

  (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it is the new year. Congress 
is back in session; students are back in school; and parents are 
preparing for the year ahead. For many families, that means figuring 
out childcare.
  I remember when I was a young mother running a small law firm with 
two other women. Two of us were working mothers. We worked with our 
kids literally on our hips, and we were lucky to be able to do that. 
This isn't the case for millions of parents, and it shouldn't have to 
be.
  Fourteen million parents rely on childcare, and daycare, on average, 
costs $11,000 per year. That is if parents can even find it.
  It is often an impossible cycle. Parents can't find work if they 
can't secure childcare and can't pay for childcare without working, 
which is why we need to bring bills to the floor like the Child Care 
for Every Community Act. Under this bill, half of American families 
would pay no more than $10 a day for childcare.
  High-quality, accessible, and affordable childcare deserves our 
attention and commitment this year and every year because it is good 
for our economy, good for parents and children, and good for our 
future.

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