A novel resource for childcare improvements: federal climate funding
Posted December 18, 2024 in Press Releases
Low wages, insufficient public investment, and rising operational costs forced nearly 1,000 childcare programs in Ohio to close between 2019 and 2023. This has left families struggling to find and afford care. Policy Matters’ latest report, authored by Molly Bryden and Ali Smith, offers fresh insights into how environmental and economic conditions intersect to impact the childcare sector and proposes innovative policy solutions to address these challenges.
The report utilizes the federal government’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) to analyze licensed childcare providers in Cuyahoga County. Key findings reveal:
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Over half of Cuyahoga County’s childcare programs are located in federally designated Justice40 communities, which face compounded economic and environmental challenges.
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Many childcare programs operate in areas with high levels of air pollution, exacerbating asthma risks, especially for Black and low-income children who already face disproportionate health disparities.
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Rising energy costs and high energy burdens impact over 80% of home-based childcare programs, stretching already razor-thin margins.
The report calls on Ohio policymakers to leverage the billions in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to support the childcare sector while addressing systemic disparities.
“Understanding the interplay between climate and economic contexts can offer an opportunity to address Ohio's childcare crisis, while mitigating the climate crisis, with a comprehensive set of state policy interventions,” said report author, climate and sustainability researcher Molly Bryden. “Policymakers and program administrators should integrate environmental considerations into their decision-making processes, across all policy issues, to generate long-term benefits for all Ohioans – starting with our kids and the early-childhood educators who care for them.”