ABSTRACT
From the Document: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised questions related to the fragility of the child care market and the child care needs of working families. Monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that the number of child care workers dropped by roughly one-third between March and April 2020, with the number of workers still down by about 22% in June. According to one survey fielded from March 31 to April 4, a majority of parents reported their child care provider had closed or was limiting hours or spaces due to COVID-19. Nearly half of respondents were somewhat or very concerned their provider would not re-open. Other estimates suggest that demand for child care among essential workers may exceed supply. Congress and the President have already enacted several child care-related provisions as part of the federal COVID-19 response. In addition, Congress has continued to debate the need for further legislation to provide more or different federal support, introducing a number of bills that touch on these issues. On July 17, the House Rules Committee ordered reported a special rule (H.Res. 1053) to provide for House floor consideration of two such bills (H.R. 7027 and H.R. 7327).Child care;Disaster recovery;Economics
ABSTRACT
From the Document: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has broadly impacted child care in the United States. Surveys conducted in April of both working families with young children and child care providers found that the majority of child care providers had fully closed or reduced their enrollment. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that the number of child care workers decreased by about one-third between March and April [...] and about one-quarter between March and June, with the latter number potentially reflecting the effects of states partially reopening. Parents and providers have questions about if and when child care facilities will be able to reopen safely. The COVID-19 pandemic has also amplified concerns about child care affordability. As Congress continues to debate whether more needs to be done to address child care at the federal level, the House Rules Committee recently reported a resolution that would allow the House to consider two bills related to child care. One of those bills, the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 7327), includes several tax provisions, as summarized in this Insight.Child care--Taxation;Economics;Disaster recovery