Recognizing the roles and the contributions of care workers in the United States and expressing support for the designation of April 2023 as Care Worker Recognition Month.

Recognizing the roles and the contributions of care workers in the United States and expressing support for the designation of April 2023 as Care Worker Recognition Month Whereas there is a growing need on the part of families for care, from childcare to support for older adults and individuals with chronic illnesses or disabilities; Whereas childcare workers provide the essential service of taking care of a childs basic needs while fostering a childs early emotional, social, and intellectual development; Whereas direct care workers allow older adults, individuals with disabilities, and children with complex medical needs to remain in their homes and communities and live healthy, independent, and dignified lives by providing support with critical daily tasks, such as eating, dressing, and personal hygiene; Whereas investment in care workers is vital to labor force participation and a strong economy; Whereas care workers give family caregivers the assurance that their homes are being looked after and that their children, parents, and loved ones are in the hands of professionals; Whereas care work is an industry that particularly benefits women, who account for the majority of the care workforce, and that allows other women to participate in the labor force; Whereas access to childcare and home and community-based care helps families boost their economic stability by working increased hours, taking fewer days off, and pursuing opportunities to advance their education and careers; Whereas, when families are forced out of the labor market due to caregiving responsibilities, they will experience diminished income, access to benefits, and retirement savings over their lifetimes; Whereas children who receive high-quality childcare are healthier, more likely to graduate from college, and more likely to have higher incomes; Whereas substandard wages and poor working conditions continue to fuel shortages and turnover in the care industry; Whereas the median annual earnings for full-time childcare workers and home care workers is less than $30,000, and, as a result, nearly 1 in 6 home care workers lives in poverty, and 1 in 3 childcare workers is experiencing food insecurity; Whereas COVID19 both heightened the existing challenges for, and placed new stress on, care workers, leading to burnout and exhaustion; Whereas the demand for home and community-based care services is growing, because the population of adults who are 65 and older will nearly double by 2050, and 10,000 individuals are aging into retirement per day; Whereas 88 percent of aging adults prefer to receive long-term supports and services in home and community-based settings; Whereas, across the United States, approximately 656,000 aging individuals and individuals with disabilities are on waiting lists to access home and community-based services through Medicaid; Whereas home care jobs are the jobs of the future, because the home care workforce is projected to add more new jobs than any other single occupation in the United States and will add more than 1,000,000 new jobs from 2020 to 2030; Whereas care jobs are the jobs of the future, because these jobs cannot be automated or outsourced; Whereas turnover and shortages in the care workforce are costly to the economy, because they lead to higher costs for taxpayer-supported programs and industry employers that need to keep hiring and training new workers; Whereas large-scale labor force exits and work disruptions due to childcare needs annually cost the economy an estimated $122,000,000,000 in lost income, productivity, and tax revenue; Whereas investing in care infrastructure will lead to fewer staffing shortages and higher productivity, while ensuring a more robust and stable pipeline of workers from which businesses can recruit; and Whereas investing in direct care infrastructure specifically will result in savings, because it costs $26,000 per individual per year to receive care in a home in contrast to $90,000 per individual per year in a congregate setting: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) expresses support for the designation of April 2023 as Care Worker Recognition Month (2) recognizes the roles and the contributions of home care workers in the United States in providing the care necessary for older adults and disabled individuals to live independently and in dignity; (3) recognizes the role and contributions of early educators and childcare workers in the United States in providing a nurturing, enriching environment for children to grow and learn; (4) recognizes the roles and the contributions of care workers in the United States in enabling caregivers the opportunity to pursue educational attainment and to remain in or reenter the workforce; (5) recognizes that the care industry is crucial to economic growth; and (6) thanks and promotes the care worker profession.

Summary: This resolution expresses support for the designation of April 2023 as Care Worker Recognition Month.