As our nation teetered on the brink of a government shutdown, a quieter yet profound closure unfolded — the cessation of federal funding for child care. Last year, in a historic move, $24 billion was earmarked to bolster child care, a sector that sustains our working families. The abrupt end to this funding, now termed the “child care cliff,” has left over 220,000 providers across the nation grappling with financial uncertainty. About 30% of providers now foresee closure without these essential funds.
This crisis is particularly acute in New Hampshire, where care for an infant typically costs $10,140 to $15,000 a year, and care for one infant plus a 4-year-old in center-based care usually costs more than $28,000 a year. On top of that, families cannot access even this unaffordable care unless they can get off ridiculously long waitlists (New Hampshire lacks 8,300 spots).
New Hampshire has made some progress, expanding eligibility for child care assistance scholarships among other measures. But it is not nearly enough, and while the state should do more, we need the federal government to completely overhaul the child care system. The solution requires more than a temporary fiscal Band-Aid; it demands a robust, sustained policy framework.
This crisis is a tremendous failure on the part of the Democratic Party — which had a blue trifecta government in 2021 and 2022. They should have extended the federal funding and, beyond that, they should have instituted universal child care and pre-K.
Universal child care is taken for granted in countries like Finland. Our country has free public schools for all children roughly between the ages of 5 and 18, and there is no reason we should not provide care to those younger than 5 for free, too.
Imagine what would happen if we didn’t have public schools. Families would be scrambling to afford school for their children, schools would close down without enough children able to enroll, and the entire system would be in chaos. That sounds a lot like how the American child care system works today.
Up to 90% of a child’s brain is formed by the time they turn 5 years old, so early childhood education can determine an entire lifetime.
In our campaign, the ethos of nurturing the full potential of our children is central.
My proposal for a U.S. Department of Children and Youth aims to address these very challenges, advocating for universal childcare and pre-K among many other policies such as paid family leave, mental health services for children, and more.
Our children’s wellbeing and our nation’s future are inextricably linked. The promise of a nurturing environment for every child is not a partisan issue; it’s a moral imperative.
We cannot allow precious children to go without the care they need in their crucial developmental years. We need universal child care now.