By Karen D’Souza, EdSource
February 5, 2021
This article explains the implications of the Biden administration’s promises and stimulus packages on California’s current child care crisis, which has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of their plans involve short-term changes merely to provide stability, but experts warn that structural change must be made to the child care system to ensure lasting positive gains to providers and children.
The administration has pledged to offer relief to child care providers struggling to stay open, as well as to help parents struggling to pay for child care. Other key Biden proposals include paid family leave and child care tax credits, both goals long supported by many early childhood advocates.
Child care providers are currently facing a 47% spike in operating costs related to COVID-19. Enrollment is also down, further straining an already overburdened industry. Another pressure point in the child care system is affordability for families. The average price of center-based infant child care in California is more than the average annual tuition and fees at a public four-year college.
Advocates also warn that the problems inherent in the child care system go deeper than any single aid package. The Biden administration has only provided short-term solutions, so advocates are pressing for long-term solutions that involve lasting structural change.