WASHINGTON — As families and child care providers advocate for increased investment into a more accessible and affordable system that benefits all, government officials are proposing to slash spending and strip regulations. Alex Adams, assistant secretary for family support for the Administration for Children and Families, recently stated his desire to create a “bonfire” out of child care subsidy regulations. These proposals could loosen or eliminate protections, including health standards, and increase the number of children a child care provider may supervise. The agency Adams leads serves 2.3 million children from low-income homes. Child care advocates today released the following statement:
“It is so disheartening to witness federal officials attempt to deregulate a social service that is not only beneficial to children and families, but to communities and society,” said Jasmine Bowles, executive state director of 9to5 Georgia. “These efforts will weaken safety guards and reduce the quality of care.”
“In the United States, our government does not have a problem giving massive tax breaks to billionaires,” said Lenice Emanuel, executive director of the Alabama Institute for Social Justice. “Yet, they force low-income earning people to beg for help and jump through hoops to afford basic needs like child care. They want poor people to prove that they are worthy.”
“The Trump administration once again has picked a fight with the wrong people: parents and child care providers,” said Mary Ignatius, executive director of Parent Voices. “Parent Voices CA will not stand by while recycled racist, sexist, and xenophobic lies are used to disrupt the lives of our children. The child care workforce has historically been made up largely of immigrant and Black women who are paid low wages. Parents who qualify for child care have been on waitlists for more than a decade due to lack of funding, and providers are shutting down because low wages make it impossible to stay open in California. Providers already keep meticulous records, and there is no evidence of significant fraud, including in California, where strict oversight exists. If Trump wants to address waste and fraud, corporate welfare such as the ‘water’s edge’ tax loophole and private equity in child care deserve far more scrutiny. Superheroes choose kids, not billionaires!”