As Congress negotiates critical COVID-19 response bills, and we ask the Texas delegation to make infants, toddlers, and their families a priority. Relief Funding for child care is urgent!
As many as 30% of Texas child care providers are currently closed. That number is expected to grow, with many centers potentially shutting down for good without federal support. For providers keeping their doors open, operating safely means lowering the number of children they can serve, reducing revenue, all while spending more on sanitation and new health procedures.
A collapse of our child care industry would be disastrous for Texas families and our state’s economy. With outbreaks continuing across the state, schools delaying in-person instruction, and parents struggling to make ends met, access to affordable, high-quality child care is even more essential.
With this in mind, 104 members of Children at Risk’s Early Childhood Education Coalition, consisting of child care providers, advocates, and community stakeholders have on signed on to a letter urging Congress to prioritize 50 billion to stabilize and sustain the child care industry. You can read the full letter via the button below.
Contact your congressman and tell them to #SaveChildCare! Learn how here
While you’re at it support healthy beginnings! Urge Congress to provide critical health care funding to states by continuing the increased federal share of Medicaid costs (FMAP) until the economy recovers and raising that federal share to a higher level. The increased federal health funding is key to providing Texans the Medicaid services we need right now.
Don’t forget about abuse prevention! Ask Congress to support funding for child abuse prevention and home visiting in the HEALS Act, and share a new brief on the importance of funding home visiting programs during COVID-19, which recommends stabilizing funding for home visiting at the state and federal levels, and increasing funding to Medicaid and other supplementary programs families rely on. You can access some sample social media posts here.
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