The COVID-19 pandemic just exacerbated the child care industry, which is vital for working parents. The child care industry has historically been underfunded and outrageously expensive for most American families and making access to quality care unattainable for more than 2 million parents a year. The Center for American Progress estimates that more than
Following CWLA’s 2021 Virtual Conference this week, will be our Virtual Hill Day on Wednesday, May 12th, in which we are asking CWLA members and Conference registrants to go to Capitol Hill to virtually meet their members of Congress to educate them on key child welfare legislation. The 2021 CWLA Legislative Agenda, which lays out
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, President Joe Biden used his first speech to a joint session of Congress to outline his “American Family Plan.” The plan is designed to complement or combine with his infrastructure plan to redesign the U.S. economy over the coming years. The key provisions as outlined by the White House include a
A day before President Biden’s speech to a joint session of Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA), Chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee announced the release of the Building an Economy for Families Act (and here). The legislation would provide paid family and medical leave, expanded child care, and improvements in tax credits, including the Child
On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the Senate HELP Committee conducted a hearing, Supporting Children, Workers, and Families by Strengthening America’s Child Care. Witnesses included Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor, Chief Policy Officer, ZERO TO THREE; Ms. Susan Gale Perry Chief Deputy Secretary, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; Ms. Dasja Reed, Parent, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Ms. Khadija Lewis
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, President Biden will address a joint session of Congress. He is expected to tie much of that address not only to his recent proposal on infrastructure but also on a second-piece family plan. While not a state of the union address, the opening speech by a new President has become
Pandemic-related expansions of some nutrition programs were extended through an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. The announcement extended some child nutrition nationwide waivers and flexibilities for schools and child care through the next school year of 2021–2022. The continuation of the nutrition program waivers means that schools will be
On Thursday, April 15, 2021, the Biden Administration announced the release of $39 billion in child care funding resulting from the March passage of the American Rescue Plan. The allocations for the states found here are divided between $14.9 billion in flexible funds and $23.9 billion in stabilization funding. They also announced that they would provide guidance to
Last week two organizations released a new study, “A Lifetimes Worth of Benefits,” a report that details the effects of quality child care on family income, the gender gap, and women’s retirement security. The report, authored by the National Women’s Law Center and the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, analyzed the
On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, President Biden will be in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to deliver a speech that will describe his vision and major next steps for his economic agenda. Last week several publications wrote of major plans the Biden Administration is considering for inclusion in the President’s detailed FY 2022 budget to be released
