Thursday, March 04, 2010

Quality Day Care for All

I'm going to do something that I don't normally do... I'm writing this from my lunch break. I'm bending my rule about no blogging at work because this is important.

Awhile back, I signed up for the MomsRising email list. A lot of their stuff I don't necessarily agree with, but I'm 100% with them on the need for better policies to support working families. They are running a campaign today to get people to write to their congressfolk in support of the proposals in President Obama's budget that support access to quality child care and early education. Here are some specific items, which I confess I am just cutting and pasting from the MomsRising email:

  • $1.6 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This would be the largest increase in funding for the program in more than 20 years. CCDBG directly helps families afford quality childcare
  • $989 million increase for Head Start and Early Head Start helps ensure that low-income and at-risk children have access to quality early learning opportunities
  • The reauthorization of key programs like Child and Adult Care Food Program, which would ensure that millions more children across our country have access to healthy foods.


I have written here before about how I am a happy working mom. The single most important part of the arrangements that make me a happy working mom is the excellent day care I can afford to purchase for my daughters. I firmly believe that this should not be a privilege reserved for well off families. All mothers should have access to affordable, quality child care if they choose to work.

If you agree, don't just tell me about it- here is the link to send emails to your congressfolk. You can customize what you say, and you can cancel out of this if you decide that this is not something you want to do.

Updated to add: Here is a write up in Slate with more details about the proposals.

4 comments:

  1. thank you! women and families deserve safe (stress-free) quality affordable day care.

    Italy is so far behind in this because daycare in many parts (central and south) of Italy=grandma. Sucks for those of us with no grandma living upstairs...

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  2. Aubergine Kenobi6:44 AM

    I completely agree with you!
    It is shameful that this is a problem faced in so many countries!
    Here in Belgium, the shortage of day care is ridiculous (you start queuing for a place while you're pregnant!), and you are virtually left without a choice: once a place is free, you take it,regardless of how good the day care is, or else you have none to take care of your baby. We have first-hand experience: my son ended up in the hospital from a parasitic infection he caugh at his (now thankfully closed) daycare.
    Last year, the goverment gave every working person 100euros back (apparently they had money left over), I would have happily given that money up if it had been used to open at least one more daycare in our region.

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  3. Amen, amen!

    I will look into sending a letter this weekend.

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  4. Word!

    MomsRising sends me way too much unwanted email though - so I did not note the day care memo.

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