Expressing the sense of the Senate that the availability of high-quality childcare for working parents should be increased.

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the availability of high-quality childcare for working parents should be increased. Whereas working parents depend on high-quality childcare so they can work and support their families; Whereas over 60 percent of children under 5, and of grade school-aged children, are in a regular childcare arrangement; Whereas United States businesses lose $3,000,000,000 annually due to employee absenteeism resulting from child care challenges, which weakens the stable and reliable childcare system that is essential for the economy; Whereas childcare is difficult to find for millions of families, particularly the nearly 9,000,000 parents who work non-standard hours, because only 8 percent of childcare centers provide evening or weekend care; Whereas most middle-class families struggle to afford high-quality childcare; Whereas the median annual aggregate cost of full-time care for an infant and a 4-year-old in a childcare center is nearly $16,000; Whereas the average annual cost of center-based childcare for an infant is over of the income of a family of 3 living at the poverty level in 21 States; Whereas high-quality childcare and early education, especially for disadvantaged children, helps children thrive in school and beyond by (1) decreasing special education placement and reducing grade retention; (2) decreasing child abuse and neglect and juvenile arrests; (3) increasing high school graduation and college attendance; and (4) increasing employment; Whereas the eligibility requirements to receive assistance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq. CCDBG Whereas the CCDBG serves only a fraction of families eligible for Federal support, with only 17 percent of eligible children receiving Federal childcare assistance, the lowest percentage since 1997; Whereas these issues affect all families, but disproportionately affect women because (1) over 95 percent of the formal childcare workforce is comprised of women; and (2) women do most of the unpaid childcare work in families; Whereas increased pay for workers in the childcare industry improves the quality of childcare for young children; Whereas to recruit and retain a qualified childcare workforce for young children, childcare staff for young children should be paid as much as K12 staff with equivalent education and experience; Whereas a full-time living wage of at least $15 per hour is needed for childcare workers to meet the essential needs of their families, but the average childcare center worker earns $10.60 per hour and has experienced no increase in real earnings since 1997; Whereas high-quality childcare that works for everyone is essential for a strong economy and future; Whereas each working family needs, in order to support its well-being (1) universal preschool; (2) child nutrition programs that promote health and wellness; (3) a fair work schedule; (4) a living wage; (5) paid family and medical leave; (6) paid sick days; and (7) credit in the Social Security system for time spent caregiving; and Whereas when families are guaranteed high-quality, flexible, available, and affordable childcare (1) business productivity improves; (2) parents have a greater likelihood of finding and keeping employment; and (3) children do better in school and in life: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate supports efforts (1) to provide childcare assistance to each working family that needs childcare assistance, including (A) middle-class families that struggle to afford the costs of high-quality childcare; and (B) underpaid families that are often left behind; (2) to make childcare affordable (A) such that no working family must pay more than 10 percent of its income for childcare; and (B) by providing additional help to families most in need; (3) to ensure that childcare is available so that parents in the 24-hour economy can access high-quality care (A) when and where the parents need it (during weekends, nights, and as their job schedules change); and (B) with options across school, center, and home settings; (4) to guarantee that each family eligible for childcare receives childcare by creating a system that expands with need; (5) to improve the quality of childcare by (A) guaranteeing childcare workers a living wage and wage parity with K12 staff with equivalent education and experience; (B) improving training opportunities; and (C) giving workers a voice on the job to advocate for higher workplace standards and standards of care for the children the workers serve; and (6) to provide sufficient Federal, State, and local investment to ensure resources for high-quality jobs and affordable childcare.

Summary: Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Senate supports efforts to: (1) provide childcare assistance to each working family that needs it; (2) make childcare affordable; (3) ensure that childcare is available so that parents in the 24-hour economy can access high-quality care; (4) guarantee that each family eligible for childcare receives it by creating a system that expands with need; (5) improve the quality of childcare; and (6) provide sufficient federal, state, and local investment to ensure resources for high-quality jobs and affordable childcare.