The child care industry in the U.S. is grappling with a crisis characterized by an underpaid and undervalued workforce, coupled with a shortage of service providers leading to the emergence of "child care deserts." State governors have recognized this issue and many are initiating measures to address it, as per research conducted by the Center for American Progress (CAP).
In an article published by CAP, the organization scrutinized 28 out of 38 governors who delivered their "State of the State" addresses as of February 22, 2024. The analysis indicated that over half of these U.S. governors, comprising 16 Democrats and 12 Republicans, emphasized child care and/or pre-kindergarten in their speeches. In total, child care was mentioned by 25 governors; pre-kindergarten was brought up by 12; and nine referenced both.
According to the same CAP article, their previous year's analysis—CAP’s 2023 State of the State—revealed that out of 36 governors, 22 (13 Democrats and nine Republicans) underscored child care and pre-kindergarten. Fifteen among them referred to child care while pre-kindergarten was cited by eleven.
The CAP research also incorporated transcripts from each governor's speech that highlighted or discussed child care. For instance, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb stated in his address: "We must expand our child care workforce to help working moms and dads in Indiana."
Similarly, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers accentuated the crisis in his state regarding child care: "Wisconsin faces a looming child care crisis—costs to working families are skyrocketing, we don’t have enough child care providers, and the providers we have are struggling to keep the lights on. And the effects are intuitive—if a kid no longer has child care or a parent can’t afford it, someone’s going to have to stay home with them. Folks, lack of accessible, affordable child care is a statewide workforce issue. Without continued investments in Child Care Counts, our workforce will suffer mightily: 2,110 child care programs are projected to close. 87,000 kids could be without child care. We could lose over 4,880 child care jobs. That’s about a half a billion dollar economic impact on our state."
The CAP article concludes that governors comprehend the significance of child care and early education for American families and are addressing the crisis accordingly. "As state policymakers continue their legislative sessions this year, they have an opportunity to follow their governors’ leads and take action to make early care and education more accessible and affordable for families," it states.
