Save the Children Applauds President Biden's Commitment to Affordable Child Care in State of the Union Address

“We proudly join President Biden in calling on Congress to find a legislative solution to reduce the cost of the child care, which has increased in price by over 200 percent in the last 30 years.”

Washington, D.C. (March 1, 2022) – Save the Children – together with its political advocacy arm, Save the Children Action Network – applauds President Biden for strongly reaffirming his pledge to reduce early education costs, which continue to skyrocket across the nation, in his State of the Union address.

“We commend President Biden for his continued commitment to American families and children, and for all the actions his administration has taken to address the nation’s unprecedented child care crisis.  But, families are still struggling, especially now with the rising costs of goods and services – particularly child care. Families need relief, and they need it now,” said Christy Gleason, Vice President of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children. “We proudly join President Biden in calling on Congress to find a legislative solution to reduce the costs of child care, which has increased in price by over 200 percent in the last 30 years.”

Exorbitant child care costs are one only factor fueling the nation’s child care crisis. Another issue is the dwindling early childhood education and care workforce. Four out of five child care centers report staffing shortages, with 78 percent citing low wages as the main barrier to staff retention. In the last four weeks alone, more than 30 percent of U.S. households reported child care disruptions due to staffing issues, which have only been exacerbated by recurring COVID-19 outbreaks due to the Omicron variant.

“Making child care more affordable is only one piece of the puzzle. We need to value the early childhood workforce and compensate them as the essential workers they are. Only then can we make serious strides in overcoming the child care crisis that has plagued our nation for far too long. Our economy and the promise of our shared future – our children – is at stake,” continued Gleason. “We call on the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to join us and our coalition partners in prioritizing child care as the urgent, bipartisan issue it is.”

Save the Children and Save the Children Action Network’s hundreds of thousands of advocates nationwide will continue to mobilize on behalf of families and children, advocating for significant long-term investments in early education and child care.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that Save the Children is a charity you can trust. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.