Photo: Thuan Vo from Pexels

The federal Build Back Better bill would make a historic investment in helping the country recover from the pandemic – including funding for early education and care that could revolutionize programs for young children.

The first step would be to reverse the damage caused by the pandemic.

As an article from the Center for American Progress explains, “While the relief funds included in the American Rescue Plan Act have limited the fallout from [the pandemic’s] unprecedented challenges, the fact remains that a market-based child care system cannot adequately serve American families.”

The article adds:

“The United States currently spends less than 0.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on early care and education, ranking near the bottom of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

“The effect of this chronic underinvestment is that under current law, very few children access subsidized care—even among those who are eligible. The Administration for Children and Families estimates that in 2017, of the 13.5 million children who were eligible for child care subsidies, only 1 in 7 received them.”

The article estimates that in Massachusetts in 2019, only 12.8 percent of children younger than 6 who were eligible for child care subsidies received them.

“The Build Back Better Act would,” the article says, “dramatically expand the universe of families receiving child care assistance. It does not simply increase eligibility but offers a guarantee of child care assistance to 93 percent of working families.”

“Across all states, the law would subsidize child care for more than 13 million children younger than age 6. This is equivalent to a sixteenfold increase in child care assistance…”

So far, Build Back Better has passed in the House, and it awaits action in the Senate.

Please reach out to your Senators and let them know the time to approve Build Back Better is now.

Families need a stronger child care system that promotes children’s social and academic wellbeing and that enables parents to go to work so they can help rebuild the economy.