43: America’s Child Care Problem

The U.S. child care industry has faced major challenges in recent years, including high staff turnover and a shortage of providers — particularly affordable ones. These issues only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the growing child care crisis into focus. As $39 billion in child care assistance funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) began to phase out in September 2023, onlookers warned that up to 3 million children could experience disruptions in child care nationwide — a “child care cliff.” Join and fellows Ed Emmett and Joyce Beebe as they discuss the state of childcare in the US, and evaluate a variety of policy solutions.

Discussants:

• Edward M. Emmett, Fellow in Energy and Transportation Policy, Baker Institute

• Joyce Beebe, Fellow in Public Finance, Baker Institute

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 31, 2024. The associated report, “Prime for Overhaul: Policy Tools for Solving the Child Care Crisis,” was published on Jan. 17, 2024.