Too often, people think of child care as a personal issue - an individual personal problem to solve. But the crisis working families are facing is not due to personal failings. It is a systemic problem that needs systemic solutions and investments. Prioritizing child care can improve the well-being of our children, our own peace of mind and productivity at work, the care workforce, our communities and the economy. Child care is the backbone of our economy and a public good that all of us benefit from, whether or not we have young children.
When families do not have good care options they need, we see the impacts in the next generation of workers and our economy. Chronic underinvestment in child care has significant negative consequences for families’ economic stability, for family members’ equal treatment regardless of race, gender or economic status, for child development and school readiness and for the well-being of communities across the United States. It’s time to elevate child care to a profession and ensure child care jobs are sustainable jobs. They are the jobs that make all other work possible, and should be treated as the foundation that they are. That means paying the people who provide the care.
Ensuring that the child care workforce is well-compensated, economically stable, well versed in child development skills, diverse and culturally competent has positive impacts for children and families.
Karen Alexander-Brown, Portland
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