The National Women's Law Center has released a fact sheet that exposes stagnant wage growth in the child-care workers sector, a problem it expects to get worse. Experts at NWLC are calling on Congress to allocate additional federal funding to compensate these essential workers.

"It is critical that Congress pass additional and substantial federal funding to help ensure that child-care workers, who are overwhelmingly women and disproportionately women of color, are justly compensated for their work," Melissa Boteach, NWLC vice president for income security and child care/early learning, said in a news release.

NWLC's newly released report reveals that despite the crucial role child-care providers play in supporting families and bolstering the economy, they continue to be severely underpaid for their work.

In a July 17 news release from NWLC, Boteach emphasized the urgency of the matter, saying, "This data further underscores that child-care providers, who are central to the strength of our families and our economy, are severely underpaid for their critical work. If federal relief dollars are allowed to expire, the child-care workforce shortage will only get worse."

The fact sheet highlights that the recent growth in child-care wages is primarily due to the infusion of relief dollars that allowed states to implement measures such as raises or bonuses for early educators. The concern is that these relief funds will run out eventually. Then providers will be left with no choice but to either roll back the modest pay increases or impose higher fees on families who already grappling with the burden of child-care costs.

The report emphasizes that the landscape of the economy has evolved, making it difficult for child-care providers to compete with wage increases seen in other low-wage sectors. Without robust and sustained public funding, the child-care industry risks a severe supply crisis, according to NWLC.

To combat this problem, the National Women's Law Center is calling on Congress to allocate at least $16 billion per year in emergency child-care funds. This move is deemed crucial not only to address the immediate challenges but also to lay the groundwork for comprehensive, transformative funding to ensure high-quality and affordable child care is accessible to all families, while guaranteeing that dedicated early educators are adequately compensated for their work.