For Immediate Release
October 30, 2024
ATLANTA – The child care affordability crisis has taken center stage during the 2024 presidential election. Both presidential campaigns have acknowledged – to varying degrees of eloquence – the pressure families and communities face when seeking accessible, affordable early childhood education and care. Now, one week before the election, several parents and advocates affiliated with 9to5 Georgia shared their thoughts on funding for early childhood education and care. To watch their comments and concerns, visit this link and use this passcode: qp6.834V.
Parents, advocates and child care providers discussed:
- The importance of child care solutions being as diverse as the families in need of care, and as innovative as the needs demand. For instance, child care solutions that center around the first shift, will not address the needs of those who work nights and weekends.
- The need for flexible child care options that empower parents to balance work and family on their own terms.
- The importance of sustainable funding to ensure child care providers can offer competitive wages which will enable them to retain their best educators.
- The need for dialogue around “work life balance” to include child care in its fundamental elements. Dignified workplaces must recognize and adapt to the realities of working parents, understanding that supporting families benefits everyone.
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