1/31 Survey: Tried to Find Child Care Lately?

A nice piece in Iowa Starting Line from July 2023 laid out the case for Iowa's state government to take some action on child care, as the issue gets another look after years of challenges for Iowa families being documented. Low wages for care providers, unrealistic minumum hour work requirements for parents and the poor management by the state of Relief Act funds during the pandemic are all contributors, but it's a systemic problem. A national study and report (which ranked Iowa high in child well-being overall) had suggestions:

The KIDS COUNT report recommends state and local governments use their remaining American Rescue Plan funds toward child care, and Congress reauthorize a child-care block grant and increase funding for public pre-kindergarten and Head Start.

It also recommends policymakers support home-based child care by removing unnecessary barriers and helping develop a networks of providers.

The final recommendation is for governments to encourage higher education, and businesses to create on-site child care and learning sites.

“Not everything that costs too much for a family is necessarily a thing that requires intervention from the public sector,” Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, said. “The reason child care [does] is because it actually has so many benefits.”

Today's Question: Do you support Iowa's government using state funds to prioritize quality child care using steps like the ones listed above?

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