On Thursday morning outside the U.S. Capitol, toddlers and children presented awards to members of Congress who have championed high-quality, affordable child care, including U.S. Senator Patty Murray (WA), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (MA), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR) and Jimmy Gomez (CA). 

MomsRising organized the “Toddlers’ Choice Awards” today, featuring moms and families from 25 states who are visiting Capitol Hill to urge Congress to pass the $16 billion needed to stabilize our country’s child care system.

Select Getty images from the event are available here: https://dam.gettyimages.com/assignments/momsrising-org-hosts-the-toddlers-choice-awards-o 

Following the event, MomsRising delivered stories from moms across the nation to the office of each member of Congress. 

“A strong, stable child care system allows moms and parents to stay in the workforce, businesses to find the workers they need, and our economy to be strong,” said MomsRising Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “We need high-quality, affordable child care for all our kids, when they are infants and when they are in school, whether they have learning needs or not, and no matter their family’s income. And we need fair wages and benefits for our amazing child care workforce. The $1 billion increase for child care and Head Start in the FY24 budget was a significant win not only for moms and families, but also for businesses and our economy. But it was only a downpayment on the investment we need to stabilize and strengthen our child care sector. MomsRising members gathered in DC today to tell Congress it’s critical to pass $16 billion in child care stabilization funds this year.”

“For so many across our country, child care is too hard to find and incredibly hard to afford – not to mention the pay is too low for child care workers, too. The system we have today is simply not working,” said Senator Patty Murray. “It is forcing parents into impossible positions and forcing many of them, especially moms, out of their jobs. That is exactly why I fought tooth and nail not just to reject some truly radical cuts to programs families rely on this past year – WIC, affordable housing programs and a lot more – but I insisted that we increase child care funding. At the end of the day I was able to boost our investments in child care by $1 billion. That is much-needed progress that is going to help so many families across the country. But our fight is not over.… Ultimately, we’ve got to end the child care crisis by making really bold changes and investments in our child care system in this country.”

“Let’s build a country that values women – a country that pays them equally, gives them paid time off, and makes sure they have child care that is affordable and accessible. We can do this. This paradigm is shifting from the idea that child care is a nice accessory or a private decision to recognizing that it is critical economic infrastructure that impacts every family, every business, and every economic trend in this country. And we can do it while paying our early educators a wage that enables them to care for their own families while they are caring for ours. This is the work of MomsRising, and this is the moment in history we all have to make our voices heard,” said House Minority Whip Katherine Clark. 

“When they ask me what are the most important issues facing Congress, for over 30 years I’ve said the same thing: Our children, our children, our children. Their health, their education, the economic security of their families, and a safe environment in which they can thrive, including safety from gun violence and a world at peace in which they can reach their fulfillment. They are our hope and they own the future,” said Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. 

For more information, contact Magen Eissenstat at magen@momsrising.org.