[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
SOLVING AMERICA'S CHILD CARE CRISIS:
SUPPORTING PARENTS, CHILDREN, AND THE ECONOMY
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY,
AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
AND LABOR
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 6, 2020
__________
Serial No. 116-52
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: www.govinfo.gov
or
Committee address: https://edlabor.house.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
39-732 PDF WASHINGTON : 2021
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT, Virginia, Chairman
Susan A. Davis, California Virginia Foxx, North Carolina,
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona Ranking Member
Joe Courtney, Connecticut David P. Roe, Tennessee
Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Tim Walberg, Michigan
Northern Mariana Islands Brett Guthrie, Kentucky
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Bradley Byrne, Alabama
Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Mark Takano, California Elise M. Stefanik, New York
Alma S. Adams, North Carolina Rick W. Allen, Georgia
Mark DeSaulnier, California Lloyd Smucker, Pennsylvania
Donald Norcross, New Jersey Jim Banks, Indiana
Pramila Jayapal, Washington Mark Walker, North Carolina
Joseph D. Morelle, New York James Comer, Kentucky
Susan Wild, Pennsylvania Ben Cline, Virginia
Josh Harder, California Russ Fulcher, Idaho
Lucy McBath, Georgia Steve Watkins, Kansas
Kim Schrier, Washington Ron Wright, Texas
Lauren Underwood, Illinois Daniel Meuser, Pennsylvania
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Donna E. Shalala, Florida Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Andy Levin, Michigan* Gregory F. Murphy, North Carolina
Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
David J. Trone, Maryland
Haley M. Stevens, Michigan
Susie Lee, Nevada
Lori Trahan, Massachusetts
Joaquin Castro, Texas
* Vice-Chair
Veronique Pluviose, Staff Director
Brandon Renz, Minority Staff Director
------
SUBCOMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, Northern Mariana Islands, Chairman
Kim Schrier, Washington Rick W. Allen, Georgia,
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut Ranking Member
Donna E. Shalala, Florida Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
Susan A. Davis, California Pennsylvania
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Mark DeSaulnier, California Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Joseph D. Morelle, New York
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on February 6, 2020................................. 1
Statement of Members:
Allen, Hon. Rick W., Ranking Member, Subcommittee Early
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education............. 3
Prepared statement of.................................... 4
Sablan, Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho, Chairman, Subcommittee
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education....... 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Statement of Witnesses:
Gonzalez, Ms. Angelica M., Parent/Law Clerk Momsrising/Lane
Powell..................................................... 33
Prepared statement of.................................... 35
Harvey, Ms. Nancy, Child Care Provider, Lil Nancy's Primary
Schoolhouse................................................ 20
Prepared statement of.................................... 22
Morrissey, Ms. Taryn, Ph.D., Dean's Scholar Associate
Professor, School of Public Affairs, American University... 7
Prepared statement of.................................... 9
Smith, Ms. Linda, Director, Early Childhood Initiative,
Bipartisan Policy Center................................... 24
Prepared statement of.................................... 27
Additional Submissions:
Foxx, Hon. Virginia, a Representative in Congress from the
State of North Carolina:...................................
Report: Child Care and Early Education................... 76
LINK: United States Government Accountability Office
(GAO) Report September 2019............................ 121
DeSaulnier, Hon. Mark, a Representative in Congress from the
State of California:.......................................
Prepared statement from Early Care and Education
Organizing Network..................................... 70
Prepared statement from The Century Foundation 100....... 72
Chairman Sablan:.............................................
Prepared statement from Zero To Three.................... 122
Report: Working Families Are Spending Big Money On Child
Care................................................... 128
Letter dated February 15, 2019 from U.S. Government
Accountability Office (GAO)............................ 138
Report: Wanting To Grow The Economy?..................... 171
Is America Under-Investing In Its Young Children?........ 179
Why Child Care Is So Ridiculously Expensive?............. 187
Prepared statement from ChildCare Aware.................. 192
Link: Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018............... 195
Schrier, Hon. Kim, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Washington:.......................................
Prepared statement from United States Government
Accountability Office (GAO)............................ 196
Shalala, Hon. Donna E., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Florida:..........................................
The Grand Plan Hear From Grandparents Who Provide Child
Care................................................... 215
Questions submitted for the record by:
Morelle, Hon. Joseph D., a Representative in Congress
from the State of New York
Ms. Schrier
Scott, Hon. Robert C. ``Bobby'' , a Representative in
Congress from the State of Virginia
Responses submitted for the record by:
Ms. Harvey............................................... 246
Ms Morrissey............................................. 249
Ms. Smith................................................ 260
SOLVING AMERICA'S CHILD CARE CRISIS:
SUPPORTING PARENTS, CHILDREN, AND THE ECONOMY
----------
Thursday, February 6, 2020
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
Committee on Education and Labor
Washington, D.C.
----------
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a.m., in
Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Gregorio Kilili
Sablan (Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Sablan, Schrier, Hayes, Shalala,
Davis, DeSaulnier, Allen, Grothman, and Keller.
Also Present: Representatives Foxx, and Scott.
Staff Present: Paula Daneri, Professional Staff; Emma
Eatman, Press Assistant; Christian Haines, General Counsel;
Ariel Jona, Staff Assistant; Stephanie Lalle, Deputy
Communications Director; Jaria Martin, Clerk/Special Assistant
to the Staff Director; Max Moore, Staff Assistant; Veronique
Pluviose, Staff Director; Banyon Vassar, Deputy Director of
Information Technology; Joshua Weisz, Communications Director;
Cyrus Artz, Minority Parliamentarian; Courtney Butcher,
Minority Director of Member Services and Coalitions; Amy Raaf
Jones, Minority Director of Education and Human Resources
Policy; Hannah Matesic, Minority Director of Operations; Audra
McGeorge, Minority Communications Director; Jake Middlebrooks,
Minority Professional Staff Member; Carlton Norwood, Minority
Press Secretary; Chance Russell, Minority Legislative
Assistant; and Mandy Schaumburg, Minority Chief Counsel and
Deputy Director of Education.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you. The Subcommittee on Early
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education will come to
order. Good morning, and welcome everyone.
I note that a quorum is present.
So, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and
Secondary Education is meeting today in a legislative hearing
to hear testimony on solving America's child care crisis,
supporting parents, children, and of course the economy.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(c) opening statements are
limited to the Chair and the Ranking Member, and this allows us
to hear from our witnesses sooner and provides all members with
adequate time to ask questions.
I recognize myself now for the purpose of making an opening
statement.
Good Morning. Thank you for taking the time to join us in
today's hearing.
The cost of child care in America has gone up 2,000 percent
in the last 40 years--2,000 percent. The average cost of full-
time child care is now $16,000 per year and that is about half
the median income for a single parent, almost the same as the
average annual cost of in-state tuition at a public university.
Across America, working parents are struggling to make sure
their young children have decent, high-quality child care and
at an affordable price.
So, this morning, we are here to find out how the Federal
Government can better support families around the country find
and afford high-quality child care.
It is also important to remember that this is not just a
problem for young families raising children. There is a larger
social and economic impact on all of us when our youngest
children do not get the care they need. It is now well-
established the first 5 years of life are critical for
cognitive and intellectual development, particularly the
development of language. More than that, the first 5 years are
when socio-emotional skills develop. I wish I had good child
care when I was 5-years-old.
Self-control, persistence, and the ability to cooperate
with others begin to develop in early childhood. If we fail to
invest in those early years, we all pay the price later in
higher incarceration rates, poor health, and reduced
performance in school and the workplace.
On the other hand, educating our children in their earliest
years is recognized as having among the highest return on
investment of public funds. Every dollar spent on early
childhood education results in eight dollars of social
benefits, according to a 2015 report from the President's
Council of Economic Advisers. That benefit is mostly in the
form of increased earnings when those children we invest in, go
to work. But we should also see the benefit today: Our economy
loses $57 billion each year because American workers miss time
at work or leave the workforce when they cannot find or afford
child care. We can avoid that present cost and see economic
benefits in the future if we are willing to go to work in this
subcommittee to address the need for early childhood education
and face the crisis in child care.
Boy this is harder than I thought. Okay.
So, I look forward to hearing the ideas of our witnesses--
we do have a proposal on the table it is called the Child Care
for Working Families Act. It supports families by capping how
much they pay for child care and invests in the child care
workforce, so the people who care for our children are finally
also recognized as the teachers they truly are. And I am sure
there is more we could do.
So, I look forward to hearing the ideas of our witnesses
today and I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Allen, for
his opening statement.
[The statement of Chairman Sablan follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Chairman,
Subcommittee Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
Good Morning! The cost of child care in America has gone up 2,000
percent in the last 40 years. 2,000 percent! The average cost of full-
time child care is now $16,000 per year. That is about half the median
income for a single parent. Almost the same as the average annual cost
of in-state tuition at a public university. Across America, working
parents are struggling to make sure their young children have decent,
high-quality child care--at an affordable price. So, this morning, we
are here to find out how the federal government can better support
families around the country find and afford high-quality child care.
It is also important to remember that this is not just a problem
for young families raising children. There is a larger social and
economic impact on all of us, when our youngest children do not get the
care they need. It is now well- established the first five years of
life are critical for cognitive and intellectual development--
particularly, the development of language.
More than that, the first five years are when socio-emotional
skills develop. I wish I had early child care when I was 5 years old.
Self-control, persistence, and the ability to cooperate with others
begin to develop in early childhood. If we fail to invest in those
early years, we all pay the price later in higher incarceration rates,
poor health, and reduced performance in school and the workplace.
On the other hand, educating our children in their earliest years
is recognized as having among the highest returns on investment of
public funds. Every dollar spent on early childhood education results
in eight dollars of social benefits, according to a 2015 report from
the President's Council of Economic Advisers. That benefit is mostly in
the form of increased earnings, when those children we invest in, go to
work.
But we would also see the benefit today: Our economy loses $57
billion each year because American workers miss time at work or leave
the workforce when they cannot find or afford child care. We can avoid
that present cost and see economic benefits in the future, if we are
willing to go to work in this subcommittee to address the need for
early childhood education and face the crisis in child care.
We do have a proposal on the table: It is called the Child Care for
Working Families Act. It supports families by capping how much they pay
for child care and invests in the child care workforce; so, the people
who care for our children are finally recognized as the teachers they
truly are. And I am sure there is more we could do.
So, I look forward to hearing the ideas of our witnesses today. I
now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Allen, for his opening statement.
______
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and we are glad to be
here today. Thank you for being here and taking time to share
with us about these and other important issues.
Parents are the ultimate decider of their child's care and
education no matter the child's age. In fact, the Federal
Government funds several early childhood care programs to
achieve this end and it is the job of Congress to make sure
these Federally funded program provide parents options that
will offer a strong foundation for the future success of their
children.
Not only do these programs provide stability for children,
but then also support parents who want to continue pursuing an
education or a career. Lack of affordable child care can result
in employee absences and turnover, which in turn imposes
significant costs to employers and impacts the overall economic
development. Several states have estimated losses between $1
and $2 billion annually due to child care related absence and
turnover.
Federal funding for child care dates back to the 1930s,
showcasing the Government's extensive commitment to this
important initiative. This funding totals over $15 billion a
year, and that number doesn't include individual state or local
funding. I am proud to say that Georgia, my home state, has
long been an innovator and is home to the oldest universal pre-
kindergarten program in the country.
However, the current piecemeal approach the Federal
Government has taken in funding early childhood care and
education programs is shortsighted and has resulted in costly,
fragmented, and overlapping programs. This needs to be
addressed in order to provide better options for parents.
In contrast to what the landscape of early care and
education looked like when these Federal programs were created,
states are now leading the way in offering early childhood
services for vulnerable youth and working families. Local
programs are more responsive to the diverse needs of different
families and communities, and their recent growth makes a
review of the federal Government's role in operating these
programs all the more necessary.
It is encouraging news to see how states' role in the child
care programs has changed significantly over the past 90 years,
fundamentally changing how programs are funded and serving
specific groups of vulnerable, at risk children. In fact, every
state now reports some type of early childhood care or
education program. The majority of these programs are funded
with multiple sources of State, Federal, and local funds, which
broadens the reach of services provided to children and
families, but also presents challenges such as reconciling
different eligibility and reporting requirements.
While states' roles in funding of early childhood programs
has helped create high-quality options for families, the
Federal Government's involvement in this space has grown into
an overly burdensome, costly, and confusing network of
programs.
The bottom line is we all agree that supporting children's
development in the early years is critical as it builds a
strong foundation for future success. We don't want to lose one
child. And we agree that high-quality child care is a critical
support for working families. But overlap, duplication, and
fragmentation among programs remains an issue and demands a
thoughtful and complete examination from Congress rather than
the piecemeal approach taken in years past or simply throwing
more money at a convoluted system without addressing the
underlying issues.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today on how
we can best reform and improve the Federal Government's role in
early childhood programs.
Thank you and I yield back.
[The statement of Mr. Allen follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Rick W. Allen, Ranking Member, Subcommittee
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Parents are the ultimate decider of their
child's care and education, no matter the child's age. In fact, the
federal government funds several early childhood care and education
programs to achieve this end, and it is the job of Congress to make
sure these federally funded programs provide parents' options that will
offer a strong foundation for the future success of their children.
Not only do these programs provide stability for children, but they
also support parents who want to continue pursuing an education or a
career. Lack of affordable child care can result in employee absences
and turnover, which, in turn, imposes significant costs to employers
and impacts overall economic development. Several states have estimated
losses between $1-$2 billion annually due to child care-related absence
and turnover.
Federal funding for child care dates back to the 1930s, showcasing
the government's extensive commitment to this important initiative.
This funding totals over $15 billion dollars a year--and that number
doesn't include individual state or local funding. I am proud to say
that Georgia has long been an innovator and is home to the oldest
universal prekindergarten program in the country.
However, the current piecemeal approach the federal government has
taken in funding early childhood care and education programs is
shortsighted and has resulted in costly, fragmented, and overlapping
programs. This needs to be addressed in order to provide better options
for parents.
In contrast to what the landscape of early care and education
looked like when these federal programs were created, states are now
leading the way in offering early childhood services for vulnerable
youth and working families.
Local programs are more responsive to the diverse needs of
different families and communities, and their recent growth makes a
review of the federal government's role in operating these programs all
the more necessary.
It's encouraging news to see how states' role in child care
programs has changed significantly over the past 90 years,
fundamentally changing how programs are funded and serving specific
groups of vulnerable, at-risk children.
In fact, every state now reports some type of early childhood care
or education program. The majority of these programs are funded with
multiple sources of state, federal, and local funds, which broadens the
reach of services provided to children and families, but also presents
challenges such as reconciling different eligibility and reporting
requirements.
While states' role in funding early childhood programs has helped
create high-quality options for families, the federal government's
involvement in this space has grown into an overly burdensome, costly,
and confusing network of programs.
The bottom line is, we all agree that supporting children's
development in the early years is critical as it builds a strong
foundation for future success. And we agree that high-quality child
care is a critical support for working families. But overlap,
duplication, and fragmentation among programs remains an issue and
demands a thoughtful and complete examination from Congress, rather
than the piecemeal approach taken in years past or simply throwing more
money at a convoluted system without addressing the underlying issues.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today on how we can
best reform and improve the federal governments' role in early
childhood programs.
______
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Mr. Allen, Ranking
Member.
Without objection, all other witnesses who wish to insert
written statements into the record may do so by submitting them
to the Committee Clerk electronically in Microsoft Word format
by 5:00 p.m. on or by February 20.
I will now introduce our witnesses.
Let me try this, Dr. Taryn Morrissey. Did I get that right?
Dr. Morrissey is a School of Public Affairs Dean Scholar
Associate Professor of Public Policy at American University. I
told my daughter that you were a witness because she went to
your university. Her work focuses on examining and improving
public policies for children, including early care and
education, nutrition assistance, and public health policies.
She is co-author of ``Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to
Combat Inequality''. And her research has been published in
numerous academic journals. Dr. Morrissey received a Ph.D. in
developmental psychology from Cornell University and a Bachelor
of Science from Tufts University.
Welcome, Dr. Morrissey.
Ms. Nancy Harvey is a family child care provider and child
care advocate from West Oakland, California. Ms. Harvey left a
career as an elementary school teacher after noticing that
black and brown children were starting behind their white peers
and she opened a family child care focused on children's
crucial zero to three years more than fifteen years ago. She
walked the talk--is that how they say it?
Ms. Harvey has been a leader in efforts to raise local
revenue to expand child care access and raise pay for early
educators like herself.
Ms. Linda Smith is the director of the Bipartisan Policy
Center's Early Childhood Development Initiative. She most
recently served as the deputy assistant secretary for Early
Childhood Development in the Administration for Children and
Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Ms. Smith began her career in early childhood education on the
Northern Cheyenne Reservation in her native state of Montana.
Please, I would like to come visit one day. I have been there.
And she is a graduate of the University of Montana.
Welcome, Madam Secretary.
Ms. Angelica Maria Gonzalez is a mother of three children
living in Seattle who has long struggled to find and maintain
reliable quality affordable child care. The lack of
availability, unaffordable, and affordability in the child care
sector prevented Ms. Gonzalez from working to her fullest
potential and has played a primary role in her struggle to
remain stably housed and employed.
Despite having difficulty meeting her fullest potential,
Ms. Gonzalez advocates for greater investments in child care
which are key to helping families, communities, and the
economy. And in addition, moreover, she holds a BA from the
University of Washington and recently graduated with her JD
from Seattle University School of Law.
Wow, you have been busy, Ms. Gonzalez. And welcome.
Welcome to all of you. And we appreciate all the witnesses
for being here today and look forward to your testimony.
Let me remind the witnesses that we have read your written
statements and they will appear in full in the hearing record.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(d) and committee practice,
each of you is asked to limit your oral presentation to a 5-
minute summary of your written statement.
Let me remind the witnesses that pursuant to Title 18 of
the U.S. Code, Section 1001, it is illegal to knowingly and
willfully falsify any statement, representation, writing,
document, or material fact presented to Congress, or otherwise
conceal or cover up a material fact.
Before you begin your testimony please remember to press
the button on the microphone in front of you so that it will
turn on and the members can hear you. As you begin to speak the
light in front of you will turn green. After 4 minutes the
light will turn yellow to signal that you have 1 minute
remaining. When the light turns red, your 5 minutes have
expired and we ask that you please wrap up.
We will let the entire panel make their presentations
before we move to member questions. When answering a question,
please remember to once again turn your microphone on.
I will first recognize Dr. Morrissey. Dr. Morrissey, you
have 5 minutes.
TESTIMONY OF TARYN MORRISSEY, Ph .D., DEAN'S SCHOLAR ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Ms. Morrissey. Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member Allen, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today.
My name is Taryn Morrissey and I am an associate professor
in the School of Public Affairs at American University in
Washington, D.C. Today I will focus on two points, one, high-
quality early care and education is hard to find and
unaffordable for many American families across the income
spectrum, two, public under investment in early care and
education perpetuates and widens economic inequality among
children, parents, and early care and education workers. The
bottom line is that the lack of affordable high-quality
reliable early care and education is a lost opportunity for
supporting children's development, for supporting parents'
employment, for supporting economic growth, and narrowing
inequality.
Most young children in the United States live in homes in
which all parents are employed. In turn, 61 percent of children
under age 5 attend child care each week. But high-quality early
care and education, or any licensed arrangement, is hard to
find. We know from a wealth of research that high-quality care
and education during the early years, a rapid time of brain
development, promotes children's learning and holds promise in
narrowing the socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic inequalities
that emerge early, well before kindergarten or even pre-k.
Licensed child care arrangements that meet regulations are more
likely to provide high-quality stable care than less formal
arrangements, but about half of people in the United States
live in child care deserts.
Child care is also expensive. The U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services recommends that families' out-of-pocket
child care costs not exceed 7 percent of income. But families
below the poverty line spend roughly 30 percent of their
incomes on child care. Even higher income families spend
between 8 and 18 percent of their incomes, about $9,000 a year,
on child care. Regulated settings and center care cost even
more than informal arrangements.
It is not surprising then that children from high income
families are much more likely to attend preschool and center
care than their middle or low-income peers. In 2011 only 2/3s
of 4-year olds in moderate income families attended center
based early care and education programs, compared to more than
80 percent of those from higher income families.
Why is child care, especially high-quality child care, so
sparse and expensive--because the quality of early care and
education depends on the warmth and responsiveness of
caregivers and on the strength of adult-child relationships.
Economies of scale simply don't apply to the child care sector
in the same way as other economic sectors and most child care
costs are directed toward labor.
Despite its expense, child care would actually cost more if
child care workers were paid adequate wages. In 2018 the median
hourly wage for child care workers was $11.17, 33 percent less
than that for bus drivers. More than half of child care workers
live in families that participate in one or more public
assistance programs. Low pay and few benefits present barriers
in attracting and retaining a skilled workforce and high
teacher turnover affects care quality and a range of children's
outcomes.
As a result, too many children spend their days in mediocre
or low-quality care or across a patchwork of arrangements. A
missed opportunity for promoting their school readiness and
their long-term educational, economic, and health outcomes.
The lack of child care also negatively affects parents'
work, family income and economic growth. Just like affordable,
reliable transportation, affordable, reliable child care is an
economic infrastructure component essential for many parents,
including myself, to get to work. Nearly 9 in 10 parents report
that problems with child care hurt their efforts at work. Some
parents drop out of the workforce altogether at a high cost to
themselves and their families. The U.S. loses an estimated $57
billion each year from the lack of affordable, reliable child
care.
There are effective policy solutions that make a big
difference to the families who participate in them. Child care
subsidies, state pre-K programs, and Head Start increase
children's enrollment at center care, and when high-quality,
support children's development. Programs that reduce parents'
child care costs increase parents' labor force participation.
Studies also show that investments in child care have
multiplier effects, meaning that each dollar invested generates
local economic activity. Researchers estimate that increasing
enrollment in early childhood education would yield economic
benefits and reduce inequality.
The 2014 Reauthorization of the Child Care and Development
Block Grant was an important step toward improving child care
quality and expanding access to subsidies.
Several states, such as Washington, Oregon, and California
are investing more in early childhood, building on the Federal-
State partnership of CCDBG. But our public programs still reach
only a fraction of children who might benefit. For example, in
2015 only 1 in 6 eligible children received childcare
subsidies. More public investment is needed to help ease the
cost burden for families across the income spectrum and ensure
that a trained stable workforce has adequate compensation.
In closing, increased access to affordable, high-quality,
reliable early care and education can promote children's
development, support parents' employment, increase economic
growth, and narrow inequality.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify here today.
[The statement of Ms. Morrissey follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Dr. Morrissey.
And now I will recognize Ms. Harvey for 5 minutes please.
TESTIMONY OF NANCY HARVEY, CHILD CARE PROVIDER, LIL NANCY'S
PRIMARY SCHOOLHOUSE
Ms. Harvey. Ranking Member Allen and members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
My name is Nancy Harvey. I am child care provider and the
owner of Lil Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse, a home-based child
care program in Oakland, California.
I am honored to speak with you today about our country's
child care crisis and share my thoughts on how working parents,
child care providers, and elected leaders can work together to
address these issues.
I am truly passionate about early childhood education. Over
17 years ago I left a career as an elementary school educator
in Oakland so that I could focus on ensuring that more children
have a head start in learning in their crucial early years.
Over the years, I have seen the joys of helping prepare
beautiful little people for the world and the challenges
parents face in providing for them.
My family child care program focuses on children ages 0 to
4 years. A hallmark of Lil Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse is a low
staff-to-child ratio, which promotes increased learning and
prevents education gaps. Legally, I am only required to have
one assistant, but currently I have four. We teach children
early, language arts, math, science, and social skills and take
them on educational field trips. I am also proud that my
program is a place that nurtures future educators. I make a
point of hiring interns from local high schools who want to
pursue a degree in education.
But Lil Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse is also an important
resource for a diverse set of families, from single mothers
accessing state assistance while in school and in entry level
jobs, to business executives. The parents I serve consider me a
friend and a counselor.
Although my work is very fulfilling, it comes with its
share of challenges. Too often, child care providers struggle
to keep our doors open and are not paid enough to provide for
our own families. The cost for utilities, educational
resources, healthy food, and other operating expenses are
rising, but I can't raise tuition because many parents simply
can't afford it. This revenue gap leaves me often coming up
short. In the past I have had to make catch-up payments to
Pacific Gas & Electric and juggle other major bills. I have
seen other family child care programs either close or relocate
as costs rise and the revenue needed to keep our businesses
solvent is harder to find.
This impacts children, parents, and our communities. How
are we supposed to teach children to grow up with dignity and
respect when all too often it is so hard to feel this ourselves
because we struggle to pay bills, plan for a financially secure
future, and have our critically important jobs overlooked by so
many of those in power. In spite of all of this, I am committed
to remaining in this industry and making it better.
Years ago, I joined together with thousands of other family
child care providers to fight for changes to our system. After
more than a decade we won our right to form a union last fall
when Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill giving 40,000
family child care providers this right, and now we have begun
our election process. For us, having a union means that we can
raise up our profession and advocate for our communities and
our children.
To build that best in the world child care system we will
need the commitment and leadership of parents, providers, and
elected officials from every part of the country. We need,
number one, to expand the child care program to make early
education more accessible and affordable so that every child
has what they need to succeed, two, giving child care providers
a voice in the system--we are expert at how children develop
and should have a seat at the table--and increasing child care
subsidies reimbursement rates so that they truly cover the cost
of providing high-quality care. Whether you are an educator,
parent, or grandparent or voter, we all owe it to the next
generation to stand together and show them we can lead the way
to a better future.
Lets not forget, child care providers keep America working.
Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
[The statement of Ms. Harvey follows:]
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Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Ms. Harvey.
I would now like to recognize Ms. Smith, Secretary Smith.
You have 5 minutes.
TESTIMONY OF LINDA SMITH, DIRECTOR, EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVE,
BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER
Ms. Smith. Thank you. Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member
Allen, and members of the committee, I want to thank you for
convening this very important hearing today.
As was said, my name is Linda Smith and I am the director
of the Early Childhood Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy
Center. In addition to serving in the Department of Health and
Human Services, I also spent 25 years working with the
Department of Defense implementing the military's child care
program, which is a model still today.
I want to go back and look at child care in terms of what
is going on in this country right now. I believe it is time to
reconsider a new re-imagined system rooted in principles, with
clear goals in mind, and a recognition that parents are front
and center. By thinking big and bold we can ensure tomorrow's
workforce can grow and our families can prosper.
It is time to take a look at the system that we have and
think about some principles that we can use as we move forward
to build a better system for all of our children. Parents rely
on a market--based system of child care that includes a diverse
set of options. Demand for child care is higher than ever
before, particularly for infants and toddlers. Sadly, the
market is reaching a breaking point. With a supply that does
not meet the demand, the cost to produce service exceeding what
parents can pay, and more and more child care businesses unable
to operate successfully.
The government's involvement in child care was established
decades ago when our society was dramatically different and the
neuroscience had yet to evolve. Now it is time to rethink child
care in America. The entire system needs to be re-imagined and
our traditional ways of thinking about things need to be
reevaluated. We cannot talk about child care without
considering the multitude of programs and funding streams that
support working families and contribute--sometimes even
create--the problems that we see in the marketplace today.
To evolve we must look beyond this system and think about
how we can get around piecemeal approaches to one program or
another. At the end of the day, are we really supporting
parents in this country? I would suggest we are not. Families
have changed. Today, women participate in the workforce in
record numbers. In fact, in December the number of women in the
workplace exceeded men for only the second time in our history.
But the child care system has not kept up. Layering on programs
and funding streams has resulted in a maze of programs that
both parents and providers have difficulty navigating. To meet
the growing needs of America's workers and our children, we
need to think about what works and when.
So how do we make reform a reality? I recommend six
principles that I believe everybody can agree to. First,
identify what parents want and need and take them seriously.
Any change must start with parents and what they need. Broadly
speaking, the government has a role in holding Federally funded
child care programs accountable to parents and tax payers while
providing enough flexibility to parents to make their own
decisions about what is best for their children. At the same
time, parents deserve to know that their children are in safe
healthy environments that meet their developmental needs.
Second, provide flexibility with accountability and focus
limited Federal resources on those most in need. Child care is
not a luxury but a need of everyday Americans. Congress should
consider the responsibilities at all levels of government,
Federal, state, and local, in funding child care and prioritize
families and communities with the greatest need, especially
families with low incomes, those raising infants and toddlers,
living in rural areas or working nontraditional hours.
Third, encourage greater participation from state and local
governments and business and the philanthropic community.
States generally have a wide latitude in the way they organize
and manage and fund child care programs. Better program
alignment at the state level is important, not only because it
promotes the efficient use of public funds, but it also impacts
families' abilities to access the care they need. Locally,
communities are coming together to support child care and
should be seen by both sides of the aisle as success stories.
For example, companies such as My Village are working to
improve the supply of in-home child care in rural and
underserved areas. The shared services model, like the one
Early Learning Ventures provides, allows small providers to
come together and deliver services more efficiently. In
Missoula, Montana, public and private partners have agreed to
renovate a vacant school to serve more than 200 infants and
toddlers, something the community needs tremendously.
Incentivizing communities to tackle these issues,
especially facility needs, should be a priority for our child
care system.
Fourth, learn from what works in existing programs. There
are lessons to be learned from what is already working. The
Preschool Development Grants and the Early Head Start-Child
Care Partnerships provide many great examples of how to involve
all sectors in our country, both public and private, in
reforming child care. The military child care program also has
30 years of providing quality care for military families and we
should learn lessons from them.
Chairman Sablan. I hate to do this, but it is my
unfortunate duty to tell you that you have exceeded your 5
minutes. Please, another sentence and close it out.
Ms. Smith. Okay. The final two things I would say is that
we need to support our workforce, which has already been said,
and then we really need to get serious about looking how we put
our funding streams together to create one well-rounded system
of early care and education in this country.
Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Smith follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Ms. Smith.
And I now recognize Ms. Gonzalez, who has probably got a
great story to tell.
TESTIMONY OF ANGELICA MARIA GONZALEZ, PARENT/ LAW CLERK
MOMSRISING/ LANE POWELL
Ms. Gonzalez. Good morning Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member
Allen, and members of the subcommittee.
My name is Angelica Maria Gonzalez. Thank you for the
opportunity to testify today. I am a single mom, a recent law
school graduate, a Seattle, Washington resident, and a proud
member of MomsRising, and a law clerk for Lane Powell.
My children are 14, 8, and 4. As a single mother, who is
the sole provider for my family with no extended family,
finding quality, affordable, reliable child care falls to me.
But throughout my 14 years of parenting, that has never been
easy and often impossible. I have struggled to find and
maintain child care at every turn.
My story is not unique. It reflects a struggle of many of
the American people. And the child care crisis that is
happening right now has had a profoundly harmful impact on my
family. I had my first child at 17 and needed child care so I
could graduate high school and the community college. But no
provider would accept an infant. I had no money to pay for the
wildly expensive care. In community college, the wait list was
a year and a half to get a spot on the campus. In the end I
relied on intermittent unlicensed care while I got my degree.
It was a huge source of stress as it continued to be an issue
while I went on to obtain my BA.
I struggled with the issue again when I had a career I
loved, the care I needed, and a stable paying job. Why? Because
I received an unexpected $200 child support payment it caused
me to lose my child care subsidy. Overnight, I went from paying
$15 month to about $800 a month. That $200 payment was just a
one-time payment and wouldn't cover the cost of child care.
They told me that I had to wait 3 months with no child support
in order to reapply for a subsidy. That meant instead of paying
$15 a month I had to pay $800 every month for 3 months. I got a
second job to pay for child care so I could keep the first job,
but it was unsustainable. Like many desperate families, I was
forced to rely on unregulated care. The woman who watched my
children was watching many more children than one person can
handle. My three-year-old daughter nearly got hit by a car in
her care and I pulled them out.
The lack of access to child care led to a loss in
employment and created instability in our lives. I searched for
higher paying work so that I could afford licensed care. To
attend interviews, I needed child care, but without a job I
couldn't afford it. Finally, I was offered a well-paying job
that would have changed our situation, but to take it I would
need care for my infant son. I contacted every licensed center
in three counties, not a single provider had a spot. I was
forced to turn down the job. Then we lost our housing.
Living in a shelter with three children, I applied and was
accepted to law school. Again, child care was an issue. To
qualify for a subsidy, I had to work full-time and attend
school full-time--law school.
So, I worked to have child care, often getting three hours
of sleep. My last year of law school I had issues accessing and
paying for law school and child care, which meant I would have
had to drop out. Luckily for me, people in my community
gathered around and made sure that did not happen.
I have since graduated and now, finally, I am making higher
wages than ever before. But, unbelievably, with student loans,
child care costs being at an all-time high, high housing costs,
and more, I still struggle, like so many of our families. I
work weekends and evenings, leaving work around 3:00 p.m. to
pick up my kids, take them to another babysitter, and drive
back to work because of the inaccessibility to nonstandard
hours.
Fourteen years of experience, and nothing has changed. This
is not the 1930s, staying at home is often not an option, even
for two-parent households. I need to have the ability to
provide our most basic needs. And how can we do that as an
economy and survive and thrive when parents can't work?
This isn't an individual problem that needs individual
solutions. I have worked hard to have a career and
independence. If I had access to quality and affordable child
care from the start, my career and kids' lives would have
looked very different. This same is true for so many families.
Remember my story and support bold solutions. Now is the
time.
Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Gonzalez follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Gonzalez. Thank you,
everyone. Under Committee Rule 8(a), we will now question the
witnesses under the 5-minute rule. As the chair I will start
and will be followed by the Ranking Member. We will then
alternate between parties.
So, I now recognize myself for 5 minutes.
Let me start with Dr. Morrissey. A recent article from The
Atlantic, that I would like to introduce into the record
without objection, suggests that child care quality around the
country varies widely. So, what does quality child care look
like? How would a parent go into a child care setting and
identify whether it is high-quality?
Ms. Morrissey. Sure. Child care quality is really about the
relationship between a child and the adults caring for that
child. And so, parents would want to look for adult engagement,
they would want to look for warmth and responsiveness to a
child who is having a tough day. They could also look for
developmentally appropriate toys and curricula, but it is
really--the key ingredient to quality is that caregiver-child
relationship. Parents, as proxies, could look for licensure. It
doesn't guarantee quality, but it means that the program is
adhering to health and safety standards, which is incredibly
important.
Beyond that, what I did and what I would recommend, is
asking about worker wages and compensation, because we know
that higher paid workers provide higher quality care. Those
with sick time, paid vacation, they are able to stay in their
positions and we know that consistent, stable care is very
important.
Chairman Sablan. Happy care givers, happy children I would
suppose.
So, what effects does the lack of high-quality child care
have for children, communities, and our country?
Ms. Morrissey. It is a lost opportunity on multiple levels.
But when children are in settings that aren't safe, that is
obviously problematic. But when they are in settings without
these warm responsive caregivers--maybe a caregiver has too
many children in her or his care, there is not developmentally
enriching experiences, the interactions--language rich
environments are very important--that child--we know that the
brain development in the first 3 years in particular is very,
very important, and children's brain develops from the
experiences in his or her environment. And enriching experience
is key. And so, without that, there is harm. That child does
not live up to his or her potential in terms of developing
language and cognitive skills. And we know that disparities by
income, race, and ethnicity emerge very, very early.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you. I will have questions submitted
for the record and ask that some of you who I don't ask your
questions to, or other members, we would like to please receive
a response to those questions.
Thank you, Dr. Morrissey.
Ms. Gonzalez, thank you so much for sharing your experience
with us. There must have been moments where it would have been
great to be a fly on the wall in your home.
I find it deeply frustrating that we are asking parents
like you to persevere through so much and for so long, all
because policy makers have not yet solved the child care access
and affordability problems that continue to hold so many
parents back.
Well, I have limited time and I have other questions, so
can you please tell us what, if anything, you have seen change
in terms of the availability and quality of child care between
when you had your oldest child, who is 14, to when you had your
youngest?
Ms. Gonzalez. Honestly, I have not seen anything change.
And that is very disappointing. I have gone back to the
community colleges and let me tell you what I have seen, I see
more mothers going to school, trying to seek an education, and
I see the gap growing, the issue growing.
Chairman Sablan. So how does that compare to what you
recall the challenges your mother faced finding reliable care
when you were a child?
Ms. Gonzalez. Yeah, my mom faced the same thing and she
also had to rely on unregulated unlicensed care. And so, like
some of the witnesses today were testifying is that we have a
bunch of gaps. And even the subsidy only cover very few
individuals. And it is just growing. Parents are in the
workforce. Two parent households can't make it only one parent
working. Two parents have to work nowadays with the costs.
Chairman Sablan. Yeah, thank you. My time is up. I will
submit--like I said, I will have questions for some of you, so
please respond to those in writing.
I now recognize the ranking member for the purpose of
questioning the witnesses. Mr. Allen, please.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, thank all of you
for being here.
And, you know, I will tell you, I had four kids and I took
my wife and I both, and she didn't work, so I--well, I say she
didn't work, she worked. She taught piano in the home, which
worked out great, and directed choirs at church. But still I
don't know how in the world you are doing what you are doing. I
just don't know how you do it.
But, anyway, Ms. Smith, thank you for being here today. And
I just want to ask about the Preschool Development Grants. We
significantly reformed that program when we passed Every
Student Succeeds Act to help states assess their early
childhood care needs. We are a few years into this now and I am
hoping you can give me an idea on how that reformed program is
working, what have states learned, and whether we have seen any
changes in addressing the child care needs in the states as a
result of these grants and this investment.
Ms. Smith. I think this is one of the most important
investments that Congress has made recently in early childhood.
It has really spurred the states on to look objectively at what
is going on in their states. All of the reports to date suggest
that states have a much better understanding of the need in
their states, in their communities. And they are out talking to
parents a lot more. I think in most states I have heard they
have had many initiatives to really begin the conversation of
what parents really want and need.
So, I think that the Preschool Development Grants have done
amazing things to help states look at their systems and bring
these funding streams together in a meaningful way.
Mr. Allen. And you discussed one pillar of reform needs to
be to identify parent needs and preferences, to take them
seriously. What do you mean when you add ``and take them
seriously''? In other words, why is it important to listen to
the parents and to their needs and that feedback to go to the
funding sources to say, hey, we need to fix this?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think that the first thing that I would
say is that, you know, parents know their children best. And
they know what kind of setting their children should be in. And
when I said in my testimony that what works well for home and
when, I think younger children sometimes are better off in, for
example, the setting described by Miss Harvey, in a home-based
setting where it is smaller in its group size. And as children
get older, they tend to want more--the parents want more
socialization. I think it is important that we think about what
parents know about their children and listen to them and design
a system that meets those needs, not just the needs that are
perceived out there by others, you know, when they look down
and think about whether it is center based or home based. I
think there is a big emphasis in this country on center-based
care to the detriment of family child care these days. And we
are losing family child care providers. That is an important
component and it is one that parents--
Mr. Allen. Is that because of regulations?
Ms. Smith. Some of it is--I don't think it is regulations,
I think it is really a couple of things going on out there that
older people are aging out of our system and it is not an
attractive thing for younger people.
Mr. Allen. Gotcha.
Ms. Smith. I do think that getting back to the issue of
cost, how many children can you take care of reasonably and
still make any money. And I think that was to Ms. Harvey's
points that she was making.
So, I think we really need to look at the system and how we
support all of the components. There is a place for a number of
options for parents. And if we don't start listening to them, I
think we are headed down the wrong path.
Mr. Allen. Mm-hmm. You made reference that families should
spend no more than 7 percent of their total income on child
care. Where do you get those numbers and how did you--how
accurate is that?
Ms. Smith. Well, I don't think that was in my testimony, so
I--
Mr. Allen. Oh, okay.
Ms. Smith. Seven percent I do think is being misinterpreted
in this country.
Mr. Allen. Yeah.
Ms. Smith. Seven percent, when the child care regulations
were written, the seven percent was set at the benchmark for
the child care for states in setting their co-pays for the
child care subsidy program. And I think over time it has grown
into seeming to be just a guidance on how much parents should
pay. So, it really was not intended to be that. I think if we
are going to look at what parents can afford to pay; we need to
dig deeper into some of these issues of both cost and
affordability. And I don't think it is as simple as a flat
percentage.
Mr. Allen. Okay. Thank you. And I am out of time and I
yield back.
Thank you very much.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Mr. Allen.
And I now recognize Ms. Schrier, the distinguished lady
from Washington State, for 5 minutes.
Ms. Schrier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Gonzalez, first of all, welcome. Thank you to all of
our witnesses. Your story was so incredibly impactful, and I
think will stay with all of us as we consider child care going
forward.
I want to congratulate you on getting your associates, your
BA, your JD, and then I just also wanted to just do a shout out
for Green River College. That happens to be in my district. I
know you were on a very long wait list to get child care on
campus. I am glad that it did at least provide some of the
care. And I think you drive home why I partnered with
Representative Clark to continue to advocate for increases to
CCAMPUS, which funds child care on campus. So, thank you.
I wanted to just ask you first, the 7 percent number which
is batted around. We have been talking about that, presidential
candidates have been talking about that. What difference would
it have made in your life if your child care costs, provided
you could find a place--I know those were also struggles--if
your costs were capped at 7 percent of your income?
Ms. Gonzalez. It would have made child care more
affordable. But right now, what is going on in America is child
care is more expensive than rent, it is more expensive than
college education. And people are struggling to even afford
college, so how can we afford child care?
Ms. Schrier. I also have a question--maybe Ms. Smith, this
would be a good one for you--we are trying to balance how much
the government spends for child care and also what private
businesses could do. Like Starbucks, for example, in Washington
State provides some child care. How do you strike the right
balance and incentivize businesses to invest in child care for
their workers?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think that depends on the size of the
business. One of the things that we are coming to understand,
bigger business can do more than small and medium-sized
businesses. And I think we can't paint businesses with the same
brush as we try to do families. I think we need different
incentives for smaller and medium businesses than larger. In
the case of small and medium-sized businesses, in the
conversations that we have been having with them, there are
things like co-ops that they can come together and create a
child care program that meets several businesses' needs. We
have heard that. There are things that we can learn from
businesses. And that is why I say in my testimony that we do
need to engage businesses, but in a meaningful conversation
about how to meet need.
Ms. Schrier. Speaking of a co-op--I am going a little off
script here--when my child was young, we did a co-op preschool.
I just thought it was a nice way for parents to be involved and
children to be involved. It was not full day; it was just part
of the day. So, I did it on my day off from work. But I wonder,
as you talk about a co-op with businesses, if anybody has
thought about a possible situation where you could have women--
because it mostly affects women--working a four day week and
the fifth day is spent at the, you know, kind of co-op child
care center. They spend the whole day there; their child gets a
break on the cost. And if the parent's kind of rotate, you get
consistent people in the day care system. They can get trained
on the job, like an apprenticeship program. Has anybody kind of
imagined a system like that?
Ms. Smith. I don't think that I have heard of that.
Although, just to the point, I was visiting the Flathead Indian
Reservation, where I am from actually, a few weeks ago and the
Tribe has actually gone to exactly what you describe, 4 10 hour
days with the child care program that I visited being open on
the fifth day. And there was more parent participation in that
program. So, it is kind of an interesting theory, but I don't
know of anything on a grand scale anywhere that is being looked
at.
Ms. Schrier. And then I had another question. Just from any
of you, biggest misconceptions around the child care crisis in
this country that we should be addressing from Congress?
Ms. Harvey. I think what is important that I want to
emphasize here as an in-home child care provider is the fact
that many of our staff workers they themselves are in poverty.
And that just really does not seem like a fair system. We are
actually keeping America working, but yet ourselves we fall
short and are struggling to pay our own bills.
So, I would like to leave Congress with that, that we must
pull together collectively and find a solution to solve that.
Ms. Schrier. Let me ask you another question about that.
More and more early childhood education systems--and I am
almost out of time--are requiring a BA, for example, in early
childhood education when we just heard that sometimes what you
really need is a loving play-based place to be. It is
unreasonable and then does it put upward price pressure?
Ms. Harvey. Yes, it does, absolutely. I was fortunate that
my union provided an 18-month co-op where 30 child care
providers in Alameda County, we all pulled together and we were
able to take classes. And this was, like I said, under the
umbrella of our union. And we were taught by college
professors. This just happened several months ago, and we ended
up with the child care permit that was really, you know--
Chairman Sablan. I hate to do this, but her time is up
and--
Ms. Schrier. I apologize for that.
Chairman Sablan. I need to be fair to everyone.
Ms. Harvey, thank you. Thank you, Ms. Schrier.
Mr. Keller, you are recognized for 5 minutes, sir.
Mr. Keller. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank
the panel for being here today to discuss our children and
early childhood care and supporting the parents and the entire
family, and how it affects our economy.
Ms. Smith, a couple of things I guess I would just like to
ask. In your testimony you referenced the Federal Government
and how we cannot dictate how a family should choose to care
for their children. What makes you say that? Are there
proposals that have been offered that could lead to this? And
if so, what are some of the important factors we should avoid?
And what should we consider to avoid limiting parents, you
know, in their options they have for their kids?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think that as I said earlier, I think
that parents know their children best and that all children
don't fit in any one particular setting. And I go back to my
own experience. When my children were young, I was running a
child care center at the time for the Air Force and my own
child was in a family child care home because I knew my child
and she fit better in--her temperament fit better in that
family child care home.
So I think that what I am concerned about--and I think in
part to answer the question that was asked just now, what is
the biggest misconception about our child care system right
now, is that it is pretty much built around a 9:00 to 5:00
schedule in this country and most of our workforce doesn't work
that way anymore. So, I think what we have got to rethink is
giving parents the flexibility to have multiple options that
meet their work schedules and that do not assume that
everything has to be in a child care center.
And I think a lot of our policies, while they are not
directly--a lot of the proposals are not directly saying child
care centers, they lean heavily towards that type of a setting.
And I would suggest that we need to keep our options open and
we need to especially look at home-based care. Rural America,
you know, in certain parts of this country, it is the only
option.
Mr. Keller. Yeah, I am familiar with that. Personal
experience, when my children were young, my wife and I both
worked and, you know, we started at 6:00 o'clock in the morning
so we had to make sure options were available. And I think it
is very important to make sure that families--as each child is
individual. You know, you can have two children raised in the
same house and, you know, people will say well we raised them
in the same house, raised them in the same way, but they are
not the same. Everybody is an individual and I think--so you
think that more options allowing for an individual tailor plan
for a family because all families are not the same, would be
our best option?
Ms. Smith. I do. I absolutely do.
The other thing I think that, you know, we need to think
about in a system--if we re-imagine a system, that we have a
lot of programs that run part day, part year in our country
right now and they don't meet the needs of working families.
And so, you know, parents who want to put their child in say a
state pre-K program don't have the option if they don't have
transportation while they are working.
And so, I think we need to think seriously about how we
build a system that looks at our families and goes--again,
going back to what parents in this country need right now.
Mr. Keller. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that.
And I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. The gentleman yields back. Thank you.
I now recognize Ms. Hayes for 5 minutes.
Ms. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Gonzales, we all heard your testimony. I want you to
know that your story is my story. And the only difference is
that I had my grandmother, who was a saving grace. But
everything that you described has been my experience. And,
unfortunately, the research shows that unlicensed care is often
the only affordable care or available option for many low-
income families.
I have to ask you, what was the longest waiting list that
you were on while you waited for child care?
Ms. Gonzalez. In my whole 14 years of child care
experience, the longest waiting list was 2 1/2 years.
Ms. Hayes. That is what I anticipated you would say. And
generally, 2 1/2 years later is 2 1/2 years too late.
My staff conducted a survey last year and the longest wait
list for child care in my district is 3 years, so about the
same. Forty-four percent of the people in my state live in
child care deserts and communities that lacked any child care
providers, and in child care deserts or communities that lacked
any providers or providers with openings. While these deserts
exist all across my district, what we found was that
communities of color and low-income communities were the spots
where it was the most difficult to find child care. And the
average cost of care for a family with two children was about
$27,000 a year.
Dr. Morrissey, I would like to turn my attention to you. As
an educator, I am interested in discussing how these child care
deserts, high costs, and lack of availability can further
entrench the achievement gaps, many of which we heard Ms.
Harvey talk about. Does your research show about the emergence
of racial and income achievement gaps? And at which stage do
these gaps generally happen?
Ms. Morrissey. We certainly know that the achievement gap
emerges early, well before kindergarten. And there is some
research showing that there are differences in children's
cognitive scores as early as 9 months, by their family income
and by their parents' educational attainment. So, kindergarten
is much too late I think for--it is not too late, I shouldn't
say that--in terms of intervening, but we think more effective
solutions would be to promote children's development much
early.
We know that low-income children are much less likely to
attend preschool, we know that higher income families are
spending more and more money very early in their child's lives.
They are choosing to enroll children in center-based care at
earlier and younger ages, whereas low-income families don't
have that choice, often the options aren't there. We know there
are differences in preschool participation across rural and
urban communities as well. And so, the lack of availability
kind of cascade and lead to gaps in achievement which are
present at kindergarten and are very hard to narrow at that
point, certainly not impossible, but it is quite hard.
Ms. Hayes. This is completely not research based, but my
own personal experiences. I was a high school teacher for 14
years and you could tell which students, even at the high
school level, were enrolled in early childhood education
programs. Whether it was their reading skills, their language
skills, their social skills, you could always tell which
children had access to early childhood education, even
sometimes 14 or 15 years later.
Do you think that our current childcare system, in which
access to quality care is largely predicated on a parent's
income, lends itself to narrowing or closing the achievement
gap?
Ms. Morrissey. I think our current system, which we rely on
parents to pay their own way, exacerbates inequality and the
achievement gap. We have parents who can afford it, investing
in their young children's education, and parents who can't,
simply not having that option.
Ms. Hayes. Thank you. I just want to close by noting that
under the Child Care for Working Families Act, 89,000 children
in my district will be eligible for child care assistance, and
the typical family in Connecticut's fifth district would pay
about $44 a week for child care. That assistance, that
difference is life changing.
Ms. Gonzalez, I don't know if this is your story, but I was
the first in my family to graduate from college. And now, in
the space of 7 years, I am a second-generation college educated
family, because I passed that on to my daughter. So, when we
are talking about closing these gaps, if we have the ability to
show our children at a very young age that this is possible and
what it looks like, it reduces the likelihood that our children
will experience those same things.
Ms. Gonzalez. I agree.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
Ms. Hayes. Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Hayes.
I would now like to recognize Dr. Shalala for 5 minutes
please.
Ms. Shalala. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Allen, I don't disagree with you about the
fragmentation of the child care system.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit for the record a
report. ``It is About Time: Parents Who Work Nonstandard Hours
Face Child Care Challenges''. And also ``The Grand Plan'' to
hear from grandparents who provide child care.
In my district, which is--
Chairman Sablan. Without objection.
Ms. Shalala. Thank you.
In my district, which is over 70 percent Hispanic,
grandparents play a significant role in providing child care,
or another family member. And, therefore, I have always, for
years, been interested in better support services for family
child care.
But Ms. Henry made a very important point, and that is the
people that work in family child care are getting minimum wage
for the most part. And in my district, a lot of the family
child care people have complained to me that too much of the
money goes to administrative costs in sending them the money as
opposed--and even when there are increases, those workers don't
get those increases.
So listening to Mr. Allen, I have a much more fundamental
question to ask each of you, and that is we spent decades--and
I was responsible for the early Head Start program, as Ms.
Smith knows--we spent decades filling in the gaps. And, in
fact, the military taught us something very important, and that
is they didn't fill in the gaps. They fundamentally rethought
their child care system and invested whatever money was
necessary, facilities, the quality of the workers. My long-term
interest is in quality child care. I am very flexible about
where we provide it because I do think that parents, they work
different hours but more importantly, they live in different
places, they have different ethnic backgrounds.
Should we continue to fill in the gaps or should we rethink
the entire system given the resources that we are now spending
on child care?
Let me start with Dr. Morrissey.
Ms. Morrissey. Sure. I--
Ms. Shalala. And by the way, you should speak to the
chairman of the committee, Mr. Scott, who is sitting over here,
because both he and the chairman of this committee have an
opportunity to answer your question--my question for you.
Ms. Morrissey. I think we are at a moment where families
are struggling so much to pay for child care. And they have for
decades. But we have--we can think more about bold solutions,
about investing more. Our programs right now, Head Start and
CCDBG being the largest ones, are the most funded and still
reach only fractions of people eligible. And CCDBG subsidies do
provide choice for parents if parents want to use home-based
care. Particularly for infants and toddlers many families do
choose that, and others choose center and preschool.
Ms. Shalala. But it has had a mixed record in terms of
quality.
Ms. Morrissey. Right.
Ms. Shalala. Depending on what state you are in.
Ms. Morrissey. So, I think it has two problems. One, it
doesn't serve enough families and, second, the reimbursement
rates are too low to provide quality. Child care providers are
operating on a shoe string budget and they simply can't with
the reimbursement rates pay staff adequately. They can't buy
clothes and food and supplies.
Ms. Shalala. Ms. Harvey?
Ms. Harvey. Yes, to answer your question, yes, we need to
revamp the system. It is a crisis. What we are currently doing
clearly is not working. And so, as an in-home child care
provider, as I stated in my testimony, I am only required to
have one additional assistant, I have four. Now, I have four
because I want my quality to be a high-quality child care,
meaning that children get the appropriate time and opportunity
to have a good adult-child interaction every day so that we can
meet all the needs that the children bring to us.
Ms. Shalala. Thank you. Dr. Smith?
Ms. Smith. I do think it is time to rethink the system. And
I want to go back and just quickly say that one of the reasons
that we were successful in the military was is that we decided
early on we had to fix it all, that putting a band aid on one
piece of it was not going to get us anywhere. And I think right
now in this country that is where we are. Are we going to band
aid this again or are we going to take this on and figure out
how to do this system in a way that makes sense to parents?
Ms. Shalala. To every parent.
Ms. Smith. Every parent, yes. I--
Ms. Shalala. Thank you.
Miss Gonzalez?
Ms. Gonzalez. Yes, I agree, we need bold solutions and to
rethink the system, not just filling in gaps.
Ms. Shalala. Thank you.
My point, Mr. Chairman, for my last 4 seconds, is we have
talked about who gets the child care, whether they should have
flexibility, but we should not separate the finance issue from
the quality issue.
Chairman Sablan. Yes.
Ms. Shalala. That in the process of rethinking, what all of
our people who have testified--have talked about quality as
well.
Chairman Sablan. Right. And in preparing for this hearing
also I mean I just was--I have my own thoughts, profound
thoughts about how important this matter is. I mean there are
other equally important matters before the committee, but this
in itself is one of the best investments we could do for our
people, for our future actually and our economy. And that is
why I mention--at this point I would like to recognize the
ranking member of the full committee, Dr. Foxx, for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Sablan. I thank the witnesses for
being here today.
Ms. Smith, you have a lot of experience in the child care
field and we are grateful you are here. And you have been
talking about bold reform in the system. When I think about
bold reforms I think about looking at all the evidence,
determining what is still needed versus what is no longer
needed, and as you all have just been saying, rebuilding a new
system that provides solutions to the current problems that
exist.
Within the child care field we must first understand what
role the Federal Government plays in the space now, how the
states have stepped up to do more, and the market of options
available to help us rebuild the system. Can we do all that if
we simply take each program in isolation rather than looking at
the Federal involvement in early childhood care in total?
Ms. Smith. Excuse me, I think the answer to that is
absolutely not. I don't think that we can get anywhere with
just taking one program and looking at it. I think we have
spent a lot of time in this country layering programs one on
another. Sometimes they continue on beyond their usefulness in
this country. And I think it is really time to think seriously
about the big ones. I think Dr. Morrissey said something about
child care and Head Start being the big funding streams. I
would say that TANF--there are a lot of TANF dollars going into
child care, there is CACFP, the Child and Adult Care Food
Program, dollars going in. There are a number of programs that
if we were to look at these and be more efficient, we could
build a system that would work for our families in a much
better way.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you.
And I know this was discussed a little, Ms. Smith, but I
would like to ask more about business involvement. You
discussed the need for business and philanthropic involvement.
So, what more can or should the business community be doing?
How can state, local, and even Federal Government help make it
easier for the business community to get involved and help
provide or support the high-quality child care parents are
looking for?
Ms. Smith. Well, I do think that the number one thing we
need to do is start talking to business, like we need to talk
to parents; what is it that businesses need and want. We have
been going out and doing business roundtables around the
country. And I think, as I said earlier, the needs of small and
medium-sized businesses are different than large ones.
The other piece that I would suggest is a real issue is
that we too frequently go to them and ask them to do it. And
child care is not most companies' line of work. So how do we
bring businesses together to support child care and get us
where we need to go, and give them incentives to do more, but
not ask them to do it. Because I think that is a struggle for a
lot of businesses, especially small ones.
Mrs. Foxx. Well, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about
the GAO report that highlights significant fraud risk in the
Head Start program. I have asked Chairman Scott to hold a
hearing on those findings, but until that happens I am going to
use this opportunity to discuss those concerns.
A large part of the potential fraud noted by GAO was due to
a lack of proper quality control measures, such as better
monitoring and fraud risk assessment. In the undercover test it
was a worker who doctored an application to exclude income, and
in another two cases the Head Start staffer purposely ignored
eligibility documentation of an applicant.
I think this is just another example of why we need to take
a comprehensive look at how we are using hard working taxpayer
funds to support the programs.
My colleagues tend to dig in to protect each program, but
this report and this hearing give us a chance to highlight the
need for comprehensive reform that includes careful attention
to prevent fraud, to avoid programs that encourage fraud, and
to support programs that help American families go to work
knowing their children are in the best care environment for
them.
With that I ask to submit the GAO report ``Head Start:
Action Needed to Enhance Program Oversight and Mitigate
Significant Fraud and Improper Payment Risk'' into the hearing
record. I also would like to submit another GAO report that
looks at support for child care, ``Child Care and Early
Education: Most States Offer Preschool Programs and Rely on
Multiple Funding Sources'', Mr. Chairman.
I will make one more quick comment about the last comment
you made, Ms. Smith. What we are seeing in the field of
education I think is what we are going to see in the field of
child care too. Finally, business and industry is beginning to
understand it has a vested interest in what happens in
education. And if they don't step up to help design what is
going on in education, they are going to continue to get crappy
results from the education system. If they don't do the same
thing with child care, they will see that it is affecting them
and their bottom line. So, it is in their vested interest to do
something about it.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mrs.Foxx.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Foxx.
I would like to now recognize the chairman of the full
committee, Mr. Scott, for 5 minutes.
Mr. Scott. Thank you.
Ms. Smith, in December of 2017 you authored a brief
highlighting the government's under investment in children, and
your conclusion was that while states and localities are
directing substantial resources to education, and while the
Federal Government makes important contributions to healthcare
and nutrition assistance to low-income families, a large
resource gap remains, particularly with respect to child care
and early learning for young children. Is that still the case?
And, if so, exactly what resource gaps do we need to fill?
Ms. Smith. I am blanking on the article that you are
referring to, but I would say that yes, it does. I think
everyone here on this panel has suggested that early childhood
is under-resourced. But I think before we move forward in terms
of resourcing these programs, we need to rethink how they are
being delivered right now. And is the money that we are putting
into programs enough and aligned well enough that we are
getting the most bang for the buck. Whether it is Federal,
state, or local, I think we have got to take a look at these
things. When we have programs, part day programs, full day
programs, programs here and there, the efficiency is just not
there.
And I think to be, you know, totally honest, before we
would move forward, we need to figure this out about what are
we getting for our current investments.
Mr. Scott. Are you suggesting more uniformity on how the
services are provided? That is, everybody ought to get access
to full-time care and not the kind of hodgepodge of some half
day and some education, some not education?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think that for some half day care works.
I mean there are families who use, for example, state part day
pre-K programs and work their schedules around that. But for
the bulk of American families, that does not work. And so, I
think as we think forward, that is why I keep saying we need to
think about what works for whom and when, because some families
can make part day programs work, some families need 24-hour
care in this country. And I think before we move too far
forward, we need to recognize the needs as they exist in the
current workforce and to support our businesses.
Mr. Scott. For those that need full day, 8 hour or so care,
is it possible to provide that so that the parents can pay the
fee--is it reasonable to expect parents to be able to afford
that kind of service?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think you have heard today that it
depends. And I think, as I said in my testimony, we need to
start with the families who need it the most and make sure that
they have access and work our way up on the system. I think
that, you know, there are families that can afford it, there
are a lot of families who can't. And I would suggest that most
of the working parents in this country are going to need some
type of support.
Mr. Scott. What is the normal ratio between staff and
children in these programs, Ms. Smith?
Ms. Smith. Depends on the age of the child, but for infants
and toddlers in this country, it is generally one to four, one
adult for every four children. That is extremely labor
intensive and expensive to produce, I am sure, as Ms. Harvey
can attest to better than I can. So, I think the ratios change
as the children get older and it is definitely easier to care
for.
Mr. Scott. And at one to four, that would mean each parent
would have to cover about 25 percent of the cost. And so, if
the parent is median income and you expect to pay staff median
income, you would be talking not 7 percent but 25 percent of
the income just to cover the cost of the staff expense.
What level of salary should day care workers be getting?
Should it be half or a third of median wage, median wage? Where
should we be aiming to get quality services? Anybody want to
answer? Dr. Morrissey?
Ms. Morrissey. I think child care workers should be paid
commensurate with their educational attainment and their skills
and experience. And we know that is certainly not the case,
that kindergarten and K through 12 educators are paid much more
relative to child care providers, yet they are doing the same
work in educating our youngest, most impressionable children.
Mr. Scott. So, I think we can conclude that this thing
won't work without significant Federal--some kind of subsidies.
And that is what we have to figure out how to--as Ms. Smith has
suggested--how to get the best bang for our buck. But we are
not going to be able to do this without significant Federal
support.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sablan. The gentleman's time is expired.
Now I would like to recognize the gentleman from Wisconsin,
Mr. Grothman, for 5 minutes please.
Mr. Grothman. This question is for Ms. Smith. According to
a 2019 report from Child Care Aware of America, Winnebago
County, which is largely located in my district, is one of the
least affordable counties in Wisconsin for center based infant
child care for children under the age of 4. So unaffordable
that for a two parent household they would have to spend 14
percent of their income for just 1 child. And for a single
parent it would be even more burdensome.
Why is the cost of infant child care so high? Is there
anything we can do to address the cost?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think back to the issue of ratios that
we were just talking about, that is the cost driver in infant
care. So, if you have a ratio of one to four children, that is
going to be more expensive than children older with a ratio of
say one to ten or twelve. I think that is where we need to
focus our attention. Infant and toddler care in this country is
a crisis for almost every American family. And so, it gets back
to where do we put our resources, especially when they are
scarce. And I think we are going to have to think this thing
through as we talk about a more systematic approach to this
issue.
Mr. Grothman. Okay. Is there a difference you see overall
between rural and urban areas? If we want to generalize.
Ms. Smith. Absolutely. And I do think that--I come from a
rural area of Montana and I do understand the challenges in
rural America. And I do think we need to, again, getting back
to thinking about options for families, think about family
child care and other options in small rural parts of our
country.
Mr. Grothman. Could you elaborate on family child care a
little bit?
Ms. Smith. I am sorry, what?
Mr. Grothman. Elaborate on family child care.
Ms. Smith. Family child care is essentially home-based
care. It is in the care of a provider and the ratios are
smaller, not smaller in terms of the numbers of children, but
just group size is smaller in a home. For infants and toddlers,
a lot of families prefer that. When we go out and talk to
parents around the country, the first thing they are looking
for--and I think both of these women on either side of me would
say the same thing--they are looking for a home like
environment for their children where they trust the provider
and the provider is loving and cares for their children.
Mr. Grothman. Is that a more reasonable cost?
Ms. Smith. I don't know that it is a cost issue as much as
it is an availability issue. And we have lost family child care
providers across this country in significant numbers recently.
Somewhat as we said earlier because people are aging out of
family child care.
Mr. Grothman. Wow. I am just making an assumption. Maybe I
am wrong here. You can tell me if I am wrong. I would say if I
am providing child care in my house I don't have to rent a
brick and mortar place to provide the child care. So, one would
assume that it might be easier, you could charge less for these
not charge more if I am going to be offering child care out of
my house? Is that true?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think there are offsets because there
are some things that are less expensive, and certainly brick
and mortar is one of them. But I would also say that the length
of the day in family child care homes is longer, that family
child care providers generally--and I would defer to Ms. Harvey
on this one--work 10 or 12 hours a day. So, I think that there
are pros and cons when it comes to the cost issue.
Mr. Grothman. Is there any reason why we can't do it? Is it
regulatory? A problem in doing more home center child care?
Ms. Smith. I don't--I have not heard that it is regulatory
in terms of the loss. I think it is more the economy is hot
right now and pretty much you can get a job making a lot more
money at McDonalds than you can--
Mr. Grothman. Yeah, when we say we want to bring back home-
based child care is there any reason why we can't do that?
Ms. Smith. No. I think there isn't a reason. I think we
just needed to focus on how do we support them, what do we
offer them in terms of support systems, backup care for
families, how do we support them in terms of their professional
development. When they are working 12 hours a day, they cannot
get out to get that. So, I think that there are a number of
things that we can do. As I said, there is My Village out in
Montana and Colorado that are working to support family child
care providers in rural parts of our country and helping them
with their business model, helping them be more efficient, et
cetera.
So, there are a lot of things that we can do if we think
about how we focus on these options.
Mr. Grothman. Thank you.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you. Thank you, everyone.
At this time I would like to remind my colleagues that
pursuant to committee practice, materials for submission for
the hearing record must be submitted to the committee clerk
within 14 days following the last day of the hearing,
preferably in Microsoft Word format. The materials submitted
must address the subject matter of the hearing and only a
member of the committee or an invited witness may submit
materials for inclusion in the hearing record. Documents are
limited to 50 pages each. Documents longer than 50 pages will
be incorporated into the record via an internet link that you
must provide to the committee clerk within the required
timeframe. But please recognize that years from now that link
may no longer work.
And now, without objection, I would like to enter into the
record a letter from Child Care Aware of America in support the
Child Care for Working Families Act as a comprehensive solution
to the Nation's child care crisis, a report from the Center for
American Progress showing that working families spend on
average almost 10 percent of their income on child care, and a
report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office showing
that in fiscal year 2015, the last year for which data from the
GAO are available, only one out of six Federally eligible
children received a child care subsidy, a report from the
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University
of California Berkeley showing that child care providers earn a
median of $10.72 an hour and more than half of child care
workers participate in Federal income support programs, a
report from the Bipartisan Council for a Strong America showing
that the child care crisis has a cost of $57 a year on the
American economy--this must mean $57 billion a year on the
American economy, and a brief written by today's witness, Ms.
Smith, Linda Smith, showing that our country is under-investing
in young children, particularly when it comes to child care and
early learning. That is your brief, right, Ms. Smith?
Ms. Smith. Yes, sir.
Chairman Sablan. Okay. Again, I want to thank all of you,
the witnesses, for your participation today. And what we have
heard is very valuable. Members of the committee may have some
additional questions for you, and we ask the witnesses to
please respond to those questions in writing. The hearing
record will be held open for 14 days in order to receive those
responses.
I remind my colleagues that pursuant to committee practice,
witness questions for the hearing record must be submitted to
the majority committee staff or committee clerk within 7 days
and the questions, again, I repeat, must address the subject
matter of the hearing.
And I now recognize the distinguished ranking member for
his closing statement.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I would like to
thank each of the witnesses again for testifying today and
sharing your invaluable perspectives and stories on this
growing challenge we have in the workplace. All of us here
agree that it is vital to address the problem in our child care
system.
First and foremost, we need high quality options for
parents and families that meet their unique needs and support
children's development in the critical years, those early years
of their life. The problem is how do we pay for it. This not
only strengthens families, but it offers the opportunity to
strengthen our economy and to grow our workforce, which, you
know, we have more jobs in this country than we have people
looking for jobs, which is great, but we have got to figure out
how to deal with these challenges.
In order to make this a reality, we can't continue down the
same path we are currently on in this system that is confusing
and is nearly impossible to navigate for both parents and
providers by simply spending more money to solve the problem.
We need to take a fresh look is what I am hearing here today,
top down--or bottom up solution, talking to our providers,
talking to our parents and their needs. And we need to look at
empowering state and local leaders who better know the needs of
their communities and encouraging employers in local
philanthropies who are looking to help and focus on what works
for those most in need. For example, Ms. Gonzalez, I think you
said that there were members of your community that stepped up
and helped you. And, you know, that is the American way to do
things. And their needs out there. And I think if people know
those needs, they will respond to those needs. The American
people for the most part are very generous people. And if they
know there are needs there, particularly, Ms. Gonzalez, in your
situation, certainly I would think the American people would
respond.
But I am glad that we have been able to continue this
important conversation and to seek the solutions. And I want to
thank you again and thank our chairman for holding this
hearing. And hopefully this body can move in a direction that
will be appropriate to deal with this, what I see as a bit of a
crisis out there in the workplace.
Thank you very much.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Allen. And, again, thank
you to our distinguished witnesses for being with us and
sharing their thoughts with the committee.
Today the committee certainly heard compelling testimony
that our country's child care is in crisis. In preparing for
this I went back and recalled some of my own growing years and
I couldn't figure out how my mother was able to raise seven
children.
Mr. Allen. You turned out okay.
Chairman Sablan. Yes. I like to think so. It wasn't
perfect, but I think she did her best.
And as our witnesses confirmed, skyrocketing costs are
keeping parents across the country from securing the quality
affordable child care they need for their children and families
to thrive. Ms. Gonzalez, now a lawyer, can testify to that
herself.
Meanwhile, early childhood educators and child care workers
themselves have been left with chronically low wages and little
support for professional growth. Together, these challenges are
dragging down our economy to the tune of $57 billion a year.
And despite these issues, Federal investment in affordable and
quality child care continues to fall woefully short and where
states and local governments try to help where they can, as
much as they can. And, as a result, we have a system in which
only the wealthy have access to quality child care options,
while the underserved families are left with few or often
simply no affordable options for quality child care. The
alternative that Ms. Gonzalez had or the alternative that I had
personally, to get a relative to watch our child when I went
out to dinner, is no longer available today as they were.
So regardless of party affiliation, I think this is an
American problem, not a Republican or Democratic problem. We
should all agree that no parent should have to choose between
keeping their job and paying for child care and no child should
be denied the opportunity to learn and grow in a quality early
learning environment because of their family income. We can and
we must significantly increase Federal investments to improve
the accessibility and quality of care so that all children and
families have the support they need during their critical early
years of life. And just as it is a critical early piece of
life, I hope that today's hearing is a start also in getting
Congress to--this committee and getting the House and the other
body of Congress to start move forward legislation to provide
some relief to this crisis that we have.
So, I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure
that our country sets all families on a path to a healthy and
thriving future.
And if there is--I guess there is no further business.
Without objection, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
Elementary, and Secondary Education stands adjourned. Thank
you.
[Additional submissions by Mr. DeSaulnier follow:]
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[Additional submissions by Mrs. Foxx follow:]
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United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report
September 2019: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-
116HPRT43751/pdf/CPRT-116HPRT43751.pdf
[Additional submissions by Chairman Sablan follow:]
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Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018: https://
www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CPRT-116HPRT43752/CPRT-116HPRT43752
[Additional submission by Ms. Schrier follows:]
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[Additional submissions by Ms. Shalala follow:]
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[Questions submitted for the record and their responses
follow:]
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[Ms. Harvey response to questions submitted for the record
follows:]
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[Ms. Morrisey response to questions submitted for the
record follows:]
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[Ms. Smith response to questions submitted for the record
follows:]
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[Whereupon, at 12:04 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]