“Kate reads to the children for the Big Steps Childcare Campaign” by Senator Kate Lundy is marked with CC BY 2.0.

Last Monday, May 9, the country’s childcare workers decided enough is enough. Childcare centers and daycares closed in a bid to catch lawmakers’ attention on the struggling childcare industry by declaring May 9 as a national “Day without Child Care”.

Across the country, childcare workers in 27 states closed their childcare centers and daycares to demonstrate what lack of childcare can do to families, communities and the country. They also launched a demonstration to put a spotlight on three things they need in order to revive the struggling, if not dying, childcare industry, namely:

• A living wage for child care providers,
• “an equitable child care system built on racial justice,” and
• affordable child care for all families.

Living Wage for Childcare Workers

Despite having childcare workers deemed as essential in helping working families continue contributing to the economy, childcare work still remains to be one of the lowest paying jobs. According to Child Care Aware, the national median hourly wage for childcare workers remains at $12.24, just barely a dollar higher than the national median hourly wage of $11.03.
This is despite the fact that the childcare industry has one of the most meticulous educational requirements, requiring early childhood educators to continually update and upskill with various courses and certificates.

Childcare Deserts

According to Child Care Aware of America, more childcare and daycare centers have closed in the last two years of the pandemic. This further depletes the shrinking supply of childcare services parents are in desperate need of.

Affordable Childcare

Recent reports on the cost of childcare show that a family with dual income still needs to spend at least 11% of their income on childcare alone. It’s particularly worse for single parents who spend about 36% of their income just to have childcare. Meanwhile, the recommended and promised childcare cost should only be about 7% of a household income.
While the shelved Build Back Better act and the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) funding running out in 2024, both parents and providers are in a bind looking lost on where to find funding and help for the costly childcare in America.

Employer-Provided Childcare Benefits

As parents struggle to find childcare due to lack of childcare workers willing to work at a dismal rate, employers have stepped in and helped subsidize childcare costs for parents. Employers partner up with childcare providers to provide priority childcare to their employees, ensuring business continuity.
Meanwhile, providers are still left to their own devices, trying to find both staff and funding to keep their centers from closing. Declaring a National Day without Child Care, childcare providers are hoping lawmakers and key decision makers realize the dire situation and consequences of a decimated childcare industry.

For now, it’s still only a day where families, employers and the rest of the economy feel a slight burden from lack of childcare. But if the government at all levels fails to act, it may soon no longer be just a national day without childcare. When that time comes, America will become a nation lacking childcare.