I’m sure you’re not too shocked to learn that childcare costs often exceed the costs of housing, tuition, transportation, or food for most families. So many moms and dads are dealing with this!

But it doesn’t have to be this way! There’s a group of people who can assist our families in better affording quality childcare and early learning for our kids while boosting our economy: The U.S. Congress!

Congress is considering early learning funding RIGHT NOW! Write your members of Congress TODAY and tell them to support a significant increase in funding for high-quality, affordable childcare and early learning opportunities! Studies show this policy is good for moms, dads, kids, and the economy.

Lack of funding and supports for providers and parents alike have created a system that’s unaffordable and short on quality. National estimates suggest that only 10% of child care meets the quality requirements that lead to positive effects on children’s outcomes. Meanwhile, childcare providers are some of the lowest paid workers in our country and the average annual fee for full-time center-based care ranges from $3,997 to $17,062 a year depending on where they live and the ages of their children. This policy area is between a rock and a hard spot, parents can’t afford to pay any more and childcare workers shouldn’t be paid at horribly low levels. It’s time for investments.

The good news is investments in high-quality early learning programs are HUGE — for every $1 invested in high-quality early learning there is a later return of $8! In fact, ensuring working parents have access to childcare could save employers approximately $4.4 billion each year.

This clearly isn’t a small or isolated issue. We hear from moms and dads all the time who are unable to afford quality early learning opportunities for their children, and therefore are making difficult, sometimes heartbreaking decisions about their household finances, career, and children’s education, health, and safety. Moms like Kellianne from Connecticut who writes, “I’m in the process of trying to find affordable childcare for my two children while I go back to work full-time and go to school part- time. At this point, I am at a loss, because for both of them to go to daycare will cost almost my entire paycheck per week. I can’t afford to NOT go back to work, and I can’t afford TO go back to work. What is someone like me, who is trying to build a better life and future for her children supposed to do?”

** Can you write your members of Congress now and tell them to support funding for high-quality, affordable childcare and early learning opportunities!

Federally funded programs—like Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Child Card and Development Block Grant— do exist to help families better afford child care and preschool programs that help children learn. The U.S. Congress is deciding on funding for these important programs in the coming months. Investing in high-quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities doesn’t only boost families but it boosts our economy in big ways.

And it works! Children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested as adults. 

This is why we need you to speak out NOW!

**Write your members of Congress TODAY and tell them boost moms, kids, and our economy by supporting funding for high-quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities!

Our littlest learners should be getting a quality education and you shouldn’t have to go into debt in order for Congress to pay attention to this important issue. But we will need you to step it up by getting your family and friends to take action as well since these programs are too often ignored by Congress. We want Congress to prioritize children and families when deciding on funding. So after you take action can you post the action page to Facebook and Twitter?

Thank you for your action and support!

P.S. Is your family struggling to pay for childcare? Help us show how important affordable, high-quality childcare is for families to elected leaders by sharing your childcare experiences here.