43: America’s Child Care Problem

The U.S. child care industry has faced major challenges in recent years, including high staff turnover and a shortage of providers — particularly affordable ones. These issues only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the growing child care crisis into focus. As $39 billion in child care assistance funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) began to phase out in September 2023, onlookers warned that up to 3 million children could experience disruptions in child care nationwide — a “child care cliff.” Join and fellows Ed Emmett and Joyce Beebe as they discuss the state of childcare in the US, and evaluate a variety of policy solutions. Discussants: Edward M. Emmett, Fellow in Energy and Transportation Policy, Baker Institute Joyce Beebe, Fellow in Public Finance, Baker Institute This conversation was recorded on Jan. 31, 2024. The associated report, “Prime for Overhaul: Policy Tools for Solving the Child Care Crisis,” was published on Jan. 17, 2024.