By Karen D'Souza, EdSource, March 11, 2021
President Joe Biden’s child care relief bill, part of thesweeping $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that the president signed into law Thursday, may not end the growing child care crisis, but it will throw a much-needed lifeline to a field on the brink of collapse, early childhood advocates say.
“Our early educator community has been desperately underfunded for decades. Even before the pandemic, most child care providers — particularly those in communities of color — lived below the poverty level, relying on government support and social service programs like Medicaid and food stamps to meet their family’s basic needs. Those inequalities have been magnified during COVID-19,” said Gina Fromer, CEO of Children’s Council of San Francisco, a resource and referral agency.
“The passage of the Biden stimulus plan is a significant investment in our early education community, and one that we are grateful for. These funds will go a long way to helping many child care providers survive the current crisis.”
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