Press Releases
Larsen Calls for Long-Term, Structural Investment in Child CareLarsen: “Access to affordable child care is essential to working families in Washington state.”
Washington, D.C.,
June 23, 2021
Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) called on Congress to make a long-term, structural investment in child care to secure accessible and affordable child care for working families, drive economic recovery, and create and retain child care jobs. Larsen joined Assistant Speaker of the House Katherine Clark and 130 Members of Congress to urge congressional leaders to invest $700 billion over the next 10 years in the child care workforce, facilities and other necessary infrastructure and services to enable child care providers to provide care at an affordable price and meet the demands of local communities.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) called on Congress to make a long-term, structural investment in child care to secure accessible and affordable child care for working families, drive economic recovery, and create and retain child care jobs. Larsen joined Assistant Speaker of the House Katherine Clark and 130 Members of Congress to urge congressional leaders to invest $700 billion over the next 10 years in the child care workforce, facilities and other necessary infrastructure and services to enable child care providers to provide care at an affordable price and meet the demands of local communities. “In Washington state and across the country, child care is essential for working families and is key to long-term economic growth. However, based on my conversations with providers and stakeholders in Northwest Washington, safe, high quality child care remains out of reach for too many,” said Larsen. “Congress must make a bold, FDR-like investment in child care infrastructure to ensure all children have an opportunity to succeed, parents and caretakers can return to work, and the child care workforce can thrive.” Larsen continues to champion necessary investments and reforms to ensure the long-term viability of child care providers in the United States.
Washington state has a serious shortage of child care. In a July 2020 report, Washington’s Child Care Collaborative Task Force estimated more than half a million children in Washington state did not have access to licensed child care prior to the pandemic. Since then, the pandemic has exacerbated the child care shortage in Washington. Child care capacity decreased by nearly 50 percent in Whatcom and San Juan counties and by more than 20 percent of in Island, Skagit and Snohomish counties during the pandemic. ### |