
Photo: Thuan Vo from Pexels
Last fall, excitement buzzed around the federal Build Back Better bill. It was a sweeping social spending bill that promised to make a historic investment in early education and care, including universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds and more affordable, high-quality child care.
The bill was passed in the House. Excitement grew. But in the Senate, Build Back Better faced opposition it could not overcome.
What emerged months later was a compromise – the Inflation Reduction Act – which had no funding at all for early education and care.
A Hechinger Report article sums up the field’s reaction: disappointment and determination.
“ ‘It’s heartbreaking,’ Julie Kashen, a senior fellow and director for women’s economic justice at the Century Foundation, said, while also noting the need to build upon some of the positive publicity that came out of the protracted battle. ‘Child care has become a national issue in a very powerful way. We are closer than we had been in 50 years,’ she said. ‘What else can we do but continue to fight?’ ”
“That’s why Kashen is already looking to what’s next: boosting a national movement and building a web of advocates who help keep child care needs front and center for legislators and businesses. ‘Employers must speak up so people understand that this is not a family problem, it’s an economic issue, and it is something Congress has to act upon,’ Kashen said.”
Mark Reilly has a similar response: Seize the momentum and move forward.
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