Memo: Childcare For All

Policy Memo

By Julie Kashen
Contributions from Levi Bohanan

Polling Memo

By Sean McElwee and John Ray

Executive Summary

Childcare-for-all is a critical part of a progressive platform that is committed to gender, racial, and economic equity. Americans deserve a progressive policy solution that provides higher quality childcare options in every community.

Today, most parents are working but cannot find quality, affordable childcare in their area. Of parents with children under age eighteen, 71 percent say this is a problem, and 83 percent of parents with children under age five say it is a problem. High costs and lack of supply both contribute to this problem. In many states, childcare costs more than median rent, mortgage payments, or state-college tuition and fees. Half of all Americans live in areas where the need outstrips the availability of licensed childcare.

That’s why it’s so important that progressive candidates and elected officials take this opportunity to lead on childcare and early education as a central part of a platform committed to gender, racial, and economic equity.

The good news is that government interventions are popular with the general public.