Sign now to support the CCWFA!
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[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

Within the past two weeks, Republican majorities in both branches of
Congress and the Trump administration further solidified how little they
actually care about our nations’ kids and families by passing the
disastrous and unpopular Big Betrayal Bill. But you and I know our
children and families MATTER. We know our kids deserve better, our
families deserve better, our economy and our small businesses deserve
better, and our entire nation deserves better when it comes to crucial
issues like child care. We are NOT going to stop fighting for what is
right!

[ [link removed] ]*CLICK HERE to urge your member of Congress to support the Child Care
for Working Families Act!

Moves by the Trump administration to gut child care access have been
relentless and damaging. So far, the Trump administration’s attacks on
child care have included: the illegal halting of federal grants and loans
(including crucial payments to child care programs), the firing of federal
workers critical to administering child care programs throughout the
country, [1] and the closing of Head Start regional offices in 22 states.
[ [link removed] ]

Just last week came the alarming announcement that, for the first time in
the 60 year history of Head Start, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HSS) will be requiring Head Start programs to check the
citizenship or immigration status of children prior to their enrollment,
undermining the very foundational philosophy of the program – that every
child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach
their full potential. [ [link removed] ]

These actions have done nothing but jeopardize access to care for tens of
thousands of children and their families, making it harder for parents to
build good lives for their families, raising costs, and damaging our
economy.

This is all on top of the fact that child care has long been and continues
to be unaffordable and unattainable. According to data from 2022, the cost
of child care has increased nearly 220 percent (!!) over the last three
decades; [ [link removed] ] and since 1990, child care expenses have outpaced wages,
groceries, and even housing, and is one of the most expensive items in
family budgets. [ [link removed] ] All of this forces countless families, especially
moms, to make the impossible choice between working in much-needed jobs
and paying for child care.

Let’s face it: parents need child care so they can go to work, kids need
early learning to thrive, businesses need child care so their workers can
be at the workplace, and child care workers need to earn living wages.
Even so, Trump and Republicans in Congress are directly attacking child
care affordability, access and quality. It’s ridiculous, out of touch,
raises the cost of living, and perpetuates ongoing harm against families.

[2]*Families have had enough of these child care struggles. SIGN NOW to
tell Congress to address the ongoing child care crisis by supporting the
Child Care for Working Families Act (CCWFA)!

Democratic leaders in Congress just re-introduced this critical piece of
legislation to make high-quality child care affordable for families and
address child care shortages throughout the nation.

The Child Care for Working Families Act (CCWFA):

* Ensures no working family pays more than seven percent of their income
on child care, regardless of the number of children they have
* Provides free child care to families earning below 85 percent of the
state median income
* Improves the quality and supply of child care for all children and
increases child care options for families
* Supports higher wages for child care workers
* Provides funding to support child care providers’ costs
* Expands access to high-quality preschool programs

The CCWFA also provides funding for Head Start agencies to provide full
school year and full school day services. It ensures Head Start and Early
Head Start teachers and staff earn wages that are comparable to wages for
elementary educators with similar credentials and experience in the state
or, at a minimum, earn a living wage.

[3]*Don’t forget: Tell Congress to support our families and our economy by
co-sponsoring and supporting the Child Care for Working Families Act!

On average, the U.S. economy loses $122 billion dollars each year due to
lost wages and revenues because workers can’t get the child care they
need. [ [link removed] ] Congress cannot support the economy and cannot lower costs
without addressing the very real crisis of child care in America. Our
nation succeeds when parents are given the opportunity to work while
ensuring their children have access to the early education they need to
thrive.

Thank you for taking action and for keeping up the drumbeat on child care
with us!

- Nadia, Lauren, Nina, Hanna, Donna, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org
& MamásConPoder Team

P.S. – Have you had your own challenges with child care? [4]Share your
story with us today!

References:

[1] [5]Anatomy of a federal purge: How health agencies fired, and then
backtracked, on personnel cuts

[2] [6]Closures of Head Start Regional Offices Jeopardize Critical
Services for Children and Families 

[3] [ Statement ]Statement from National Head Start Association Executive Director
Yasmina Vinci on HHS Decision To Change Head Start Enrollment Criteria

[4] [ [link removed] ]Data Finds Child Care Prices Continue to Rise Ahead of Midterm
Elections, Outpacing Inflation

[5] [ Child ]Child Care Expenses Push an Estimated 134,000 Families Into Poverty
Each Year

[6] [ [link removed] ]Fact Sheet: Child Care and the Economy 


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