Dear Fellow Marylanders,

There’s been a good deal of talk lately about quality, affordable childcare – and for good reason. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nationwide there are over 15 million children under the age of six in this country who require childcare regularly. In Maryland, that number is about 300,000. 

On average, Maryland families pay about $1,200 – $2,200 per month on childcare, or up to $15,403 a year for an infant, which is about 25 percent their household expenses. That’s the average. For one child. Payments escalate with more children and, the lower a family’s income, the larger a percentage of their income goes to childcare. It can be as much as 56 percent for a family with extremely low income. A staggering statistic: the average cost of childcare has increased by 220 percent over the last three decades.

Childcare has always been a priority for families, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all corners of our country saw clearly just how much we relied on childcare and daycare facilities to keep out economy going.

When offices shut down and parents and guardians, who were able, switched to telework, childcare centers started to shut down because there was no income. For those who had no ability to work from home, like EMTs, nurses and doctors, grocery workers and first responders, among others, they were stuck. Did they go to work or stay home with their children? 

It did not take long until we, as a nation, realized that among the most cherished of the essential workers were the childcare providers. Just as we have schools and childcare centers on military bases so that our military men and women know their children are safe and taken care of, we needed childcare centers open and operating during the pandemic so that other essential workers could focus on saving lives and keeping our communities running under the most strenuous of circumstances.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA),signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021, included $23.97 billion for child care stabilization grants to be allocated to states, territories, and Tribes based on the then-current Child Care and Development Block Grant formula. These funds could be used by providers to pay for rent and mortgage, utilities and higher wages, and to invest in increased health and safety measures during the pandemic. ARPA also included significant additional funding ($15 billion) for Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and ($1 billion) for Head Start programming nationwide. The state of Maryland and individual counties also allocated significant additional federal funding toward childcare.

A total of 5,900 childcare programs serving 170,900 Maryland children in every county received stabilization grants. Throughout the pandemic, Maryland received over $676 million dollars in federal funds for childcare.

Despite proving their value during the most extreme times, childcare centers continue to “operate on thin margins and childcare workers receive very low wages – a median of $13.22 an hour,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). “This is lower than almost any other occupation, and wages fall below the living wage in most states, failing to meet childcare workers’ basic needs. Low pay in the childcare sector means that employers cannot attract sufficient workers and many areas are considered childcare deserts, leaving families with limited options. Yet, families cannot afford to pay more, meaning the childcare sector needs substantial government investment to function adequately and eventually prosper.” 

Relying on family caregiving – grandparents, etc. to fill the gap while parents are at work – will not solve the systemic problem we have today. To begin with, more than 2.7 million grandparents already are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren with parents unavailable for a host of reasons. In addition, about 45 percent of Americans live more than an hour away from their parents and family, so asking an aunt or cousin to watch your child for the day isn’t practical, or even possible.

While conservative Republicans are proposing to eliminate Head Start, which offsets the cost of preschool for 3-to-5-year-olds, I’ve been working with my Senate colleagues on solutions. I am a cosponsor of two pieces of legislation that would build on the successful formulas we used during the pandemic to support our childcare system and create more opportunities.

• The Child Care Stabilization Act would provide $16 billion in mandatory funding each year for the next five years to continue the successful Child Care Stabilization Grant. This investment would ensure childcare providers continue to receive a stable and reliable source of funding to help them deliver high quality childcare for working families. It would allow operating expenses to be covered, increased wages for early childhood educators, and expanding the supply and quality of care in communities facing shortages.

• The Child Care for Working Families Act would ensure that working families pay no more than 7 percent of their income on childcare, early childhood educators earn livable wages, and families have more childcare options in their communities. It establishes three programs to insure these outcomes. Families that earn less than 85% of the state median income would be eligible for free childcare. It would also improve the quality and access to childcare by providing grants to open new childcare providers in deserts and underserved communities.

Senator Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who has led the charge on these programs, had it right when she said recently, “the growing child care crisis doesn’t just hurt parents who are forced to make impossible tradeoffs—it hurts businesses trying to hire and retain staff and holds our entire economy back. Childcare isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s an absolute must—and an economic imperative.”

As this session of Congress begins to wind down, we must prioritize funding and thoughtful solutions for our childcare system. The early years are so important for long-term development and we have to give every child in this country an opportunity to thrive.

Thank you for your time. Please feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts on this topic or any other. I value all of the feedback we receive.

In solidarity,

Ben Cardin