Shaheen Leads Bipartisan Push for More Support for Child Care Providers

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with 19 of their Republican and Democratic colleagues, called on Senate leadership to provide additional support to child care workers and providers across the country.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), the bipartisan group of Senators wrote, ““…it is critical we provide additional support for the child care sector to ensure providers can maintain operations and continue to meet the needs of essential workers, and remain viable going forward as our country moves towards economic recovery.”

The bipartisan group of Senators continued, “Even before COVID-19, one of the most common concerns we heard from parents, especially in rural areas, was the struggle to find child care. The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly worsening this situation and has led to a significant reduction in revenue for child care providers as many parents are now staying home with their children. Without additional support, the coronavirus will exacerbate child care deserts and eliminate what few options families have, even after the crisis. Americans in every state rely on child care centers. If a large portion of our nation’s providers are forced to permanently shut down, parents in all industries will be unable to return to work, significantly slowing our economic recovery as businesses begin reopening.”

Senator Shaheen has been adamant about the need to bolster the child care system during the COVID-19 pandemic. She introduced legislation to assist health care workers with child and elder care so that they can continue to treat patients during the coronavirus pandemic. As a negotiator of the bipartisan CARES Act, Shaheen worked to include financial support for child care costs for health care workers, first responders and other essential workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the CARES Act, New Hampshire has received federal support for a child care system providing support to parents who are responding to the crisis and providing essential services to Granite Staters.

The full text of the letter is available here.