Nationwide, people spend a sizable part of their paychecks on child care, according to . That cost varies based on the kind of service and age of children.
黑料吃瓜网 early childhood advocates say more needs to be done this legislative session to help the state鈥檚 child care sector grow, and be more sustainable.
In 黑料吃瓜网, helps low-to-moderate income families pay for care. To include more people, the state lowered those family fees Jan. 1. Last session the legislature also approved widening the program's eligibility to include more 黑料吃瓜网 families.
A major part of the state鈥檚 child care challenge is there aren't enough providers to meet demand.
鈥淧art of the reason is because early childhood education educators and providers are woefully underpaid,鈥� said Emily Byrne, executive director for the nonprofit group .
Insufficient wages are not just an issue in 黑料吃瓜网. Nationwide, into a child care crisis, present even before the pandemic.
Byrne said there鈥檚 an even bigger push this legislative session to secure more money for early care providers 鈥� to at least compete with that of K-12 educators.
黑料吃瓜网 Voices for Children has also recommended changes to the state鈥檚 fiscal controls, which limit spending on core state services. Gov. Ned Lamont has said he wants to keep those 鈥渇iscal guardrails鈥� in place.
The state鈥檚 finances face even more pressure this year 鈥� with uncertainty about federal aid with the Trump administration making deep cuts, and ARPA pandemic relief allocated, according to .
Travis Woodward, president of CSEA SEIU Local 2001, which represents Care 4 Kids providers, said the state needs 鈥渂old reform鈥� to the fiscal roadblocks.
鈥淲ithout affordable, accessible, and high-quality care, families are shut out of the workforce, and children are deprived of crucial early education and development. At the same time, providers 鈥� who are essential to the system 鈥� remain severely undervalued,鈥� Woodward said.
Eva Berm煤dez Zimmerman, director of , said the industry needs to be 鈥渇ully and permanently鈥� funded.
鈥淧arents across our state can鈥檛 afford the high cost of child care. Businesses can鈥檛 hire and retain a strong workforce because of the lack of care. Child care providers are barely scraping by,鈥� Berm煤dez Zimmerman said. 鈥淎nd our economy is suffering as a result.鈥�
Lamont will share his budget proposal to lawmakers on Feb. 5.
