In quotes: two federal government reports point to weaknesses in the child care system

It’s past time that we treat child care as what it is – an element whose contribution to economic growth is as essential as infrastructure or energy.

My statement from today’s Access to Child Care event with @VP https://t.co/Mn0ZQn0I5S

— Secretary Janet Yellen (Archived) (@SecYellen) September 15, 2021

 

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”New reports from two government agencies suggest that the child care system is failing families, and not just during the pandemic.

”According to data from a Census Bureau survey, the pandemic introduced strains that caused 3 in 10 adults with young children — 6.6 million total adults — to remove kids from child care this summer.

”A Treasury Department report released Wednesday states that 1 out of 6 dollars in family income goes to pay for child care, which is more than the average family spends on groceries and close to double what the government calls affordable.

“ ‘The free market works well in many different sectors, but child care is not one of them,’ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at a news conference Wednesday.”

— ”New government reports paint child care system as ‘unworkable,’ ” by Joe Murphy, NBC News, September 16, 2021