| Friend –
I’ve heard it time and time again from my constituents: the lack of quality and affordable child care has reached crisis levels in Michigan. The cost of child care has skyrocketed and parents are having an increasingly hard time even finding a day care with available spots for their children. As a result, parents are often forced to choose between breaking the bank, missing work, or leaving the workforce altogether.
Not only is the child care crisis placing a strain on parents, it’s also hurting our economy. According to a 2023 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Michigan loses nearly $3 billion in economic activity every year when working parents struggle to find child care.
On top of all this, the Trump Administration is making drastic cuts to the resources that are currently helping working families – including Head Start – a vital child care program that helps Michigan kids start on a bright path for success in school.
But we need to be doing more – not less – to lower costs and support our families. That’s why I just helped introduce the Child Care for Working Families Act to make child care more affordable and accessible for hardworking families.
This bill would help improve the quality of child care and expand families’ child care options. To help grow and retain our child care work force, the bill would also support higher wages for child care workers and expand access to high-quality pre-K education.
I never want Michigan families to be forced to choose between missing work and caring for their children. The Child Care for Working Families Act would help ensure all families can find affordable, quality child care – making a long overdue investment in working families.
I’ll keep working to support our state’s kids and help working families thrive.
Thanks for reading,
Gary Peters
United States Senator for Michigan |
