Investing in childcare and pre-k would help families
Posted April 06, 2016 in Press Releases
Economic Policy Institute shows families struggle to afford quality care.
For immediate release
Contact: Michael Shields, 216.361.9801
Ambitious national investment in early childhood care and education would alleviate financial hardships for families and build a foundation for children to succeed in school and their future careers, the Economic Policy Institute says in a new report.Childcare and preschool create benefits for children, families, society and the economy. But with too little public investment, their costs are unaffordable for many families. EPI’s report proposes expanded public funding for home visits by trained nurses to help parents before and after childbirth, subsidies to allow parents to afford high-quality childcare, and publicly funded, high-quality pre-kindergarten.
The Department of Health and Human Services defines childcare as affordable if it costs 10 percent or less of a family’s income