March 17, 2021
Dear Members of Congress,
Widespread disruptions to in-person schooling and child care services, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, have created significant burdens for American families. Many families have had no access to child care, forcing millions of women to stop working in order to take care of their children, reducing their household incomes and setting women back professionally. But even before the pandemic, accessing affordable, reliable, quality child care was a challenge for too many families across the country.
Independent Women’s Voice is proud to support the Child Care Accessibility Report and Evaluation (CARE) Act. The Child CARE Act is a first step toward helping working families by providing policymakers with information on how to reduce the cost of child care.
While state regulations are put in place to protect children, they often involve unreasonable requirements that simply increase costs for providers and families and keep potential providers out of the market. We all want our children happy and safe, but the state should allow parents to make the decisions as to what is best for their children.
By giving policymakers a sense of existing regulations and how they impact costs of service, this act could encourage the elimination of costly and unnecessary red tape, which would enable more child care providers to enter the market and increase options for families.
The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically affected the lives of Americans throughout the country. As we work to return to normal, providing affordable and accessible child care options is crucial. The pandemic exacerbated an already present child care problem, and it is more urgent than ever that states enact child care reform to eliminate unnecessary regulations.
We thank Representative Ashley Hinson for her leadership in supporting American workers, and we urge you to join her and support the Child CARE Act.
Respectfully,
Hadley Heath Manning
Director of Policy
Independent Women’s Voice