FREE CHILDCARE

Problem

Childcare is rapidly becoming one of the most expensive necessities in America—and remains among the least supported. The crisis is escalating.

Families are being priced out of work every day, women are relentlessly pushed out of careers, and children lose vital early learning during the most critical years of development. The harm is happening now.

The reality in numbers

Costs are breaking families now.

• The average cost of childcare in the U.S. is $10,000 to $17,000 per year per child.

• In some cities, infant care costs more than rent.

• Childcare now costs more than in-state college tuition in most states.

Childcare deserts are everywhere.

• Nearly 50 percent of Americans live in childcare deserts—areas with too few licensed providers to meet urgent, growing demand.

• Rural families face the steepest shortages.

Parents are forced out of the workforce.

• Every year, up to 2 million parents—mostly mothers—are forced out of jobs because of severe childcare gaps.

• Women lose hundreds of billions in lifetime earnings because of unaffordable care.

• Right now, businesses lose over $120 billion each year in productivity and turnover costs tied directly to the childcare crisis.

Workers cannot survive on wages.

• Childcare workers are paid near poverty levels
  Often $12–$16 an hour

• Nearly half rely on public assistance.

• Turnover is at crisis levels, fueling worsening shortages and forcing more closures now.

Child development harmed

• 90 percent of brain development happens before age 5

• Kids without access to early childhood education are:

  • Less likely to start school prepared

  • More likely to struggle academically long-term

America is falling further behind other nations year after year.

• Over 40 high-income countries provide free or near-free childcare.

• The United States ranks near the bottom in public funding for early childhood.

With these challenges in mind, it is time to join the movement to treat childcare like education or healthcare: a public good, not a luxury. Demand action.

Solutions

1. Guarantee free universal childcare and pre-K

• Federal funding to provide free care for children from birth to age five

• Prioritize low-income, working, and student parents first.

• Expand pre-K as a universal public system and save thousands of dollars each year. Every child starts kindergarten ready to learn.

2. Treat childcare as essential infrastructure

• Build new centers in childcare deserts.

• Convert unused school space and public buildings into childcare hubs.

• Provide grants for:

  • Co-ops

  • Tribal-run childcare

  • Family home providers

• Allow businesses to partner with public systems to host on-site care.

Impact: Open more slots, reduce waitlists, especially in rural and low-income communities.

3. Raise pay and professionalize the childcare workforce

• Minimum national pay floor with benefits

• Tuition-free certification and training programs

• Loan forgiveness for early childhood educators

• Apprenticeship pipelines tied to community colleges

Impact: Stabilizes staffing, improves quality, and honors the teachers who teach children during their most formative years.

4. Cap childcare costs for families during transition

• Until universal free care is fully built, cap costs at:

  • No more than 7 percent of family income

  • Zero cost for low-income families

• Automatic subsidies instead of complex paperwork

Impact: Immediate relief while long-term systems are constructed.

5. Support parents and caregivers, not penalize them

• Paid family leave guaranteed nationwide.

• Childcare available during:

  • Nights

  • Weekends

  • Seasonal work

• Flexible options for nonstandard schedules

Impact: Families with service jobs, farm work, healthcare shifts, and gig work are finally included.

6. Expand childcare for student parents

• Free childcare on all community college and public university campuses

• Grants for teen parents finishing high school

• Evening and drop-in care support workforce training.

Impact: Parents can earn degrees and credentials without sacrificing care.

Bottom Line

Childcare is essential infrastructure for:

• Working families

• Children’s development

• Small businesses and employers

• The economy

Providing free, universal childcare:

• Lifts millions of parents back into the workforce

• Cuts poverty for women and single parents

• Supports early childhood learning and long-term success

• Strengthens rural and urban communities equally

• Pays for itself through increased economic participation

Act together to remove childcare as a barrier to work, education, or dignity. Support childcare as a public good—demand access for every family, with no exceptions.