December 2021 Monthly Update
MEMBERSHIP
We are pleased to welcome the following organizations as new NCFN members!
African American Early Childhood Educators of San Francisco
Children’s Playhouse Early Learning Center
The full list of NCFN Members is available on the NCFN website.
RESEARCH & REPORTS
Alliance for Early Success Publishes 50-State Progress Report
This week, the Alliance for Early Success released its annual 50-State Progress Report on Early Childhood Policy. The report includes key policy wins for children over the past year in each state, and offers specific considerations and possible improvements to state systems in 2022. The Alliance also updated its complementary state policy and advocacy pages in this interactive map. Read the report >
CAP Estimates Enormous Potential Impact of BBB Child Care Provisions
The Center for American Progress (CAP) published an analysis comparing the number of children in each state who are currently receiving child care subsidies to the share of children who would receive assistance under the Build Back Better (BBB) Act. Nationally, CAP estimates that BBB would equate to nearly 16 times more children receiving child care subsidy. Read the report >
Chamber of Commerce Foundation Considers Economic Impact of Child Care in Five States
Through five new case studies, the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation estimates the economic impact of strains on the child care sectors in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas. Case studies consider issues of supply, quality, and workforce to estimate annual impacts of underinvestment in the sector on state economies. Read the case studies >
RAPID-EC Project Releases Latest Survey Results Showing Deep Impacts of Child Care Staffing Issues
The Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development-Early Childhood (RAPID-EC) at the University of Oregon published results from its most recent survey of 11,000 households across the country. Findings suggest low wages and disruptions caused by Covid-19 are causing early childhood educators to leave the profession at record numbers. Workforce and staffing challenges weaken the child care sector as a whole, but also are shown to have spillover effects on the emotional wellbeing of both parents and children. Read the survey results >
POLICY UPDATE
Government Funding Extended Through February 18
Last week Congress passed and the President signed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through February 18. This averted a potential government shutdown when funding ran out on December 3. Government funding levels will remain at fiscal year (FY) 2021 levels until Congress passes FY 2022 appropriations bills, or until Congress again extends the CR after February 18.
Build Back Better Act Passes House, Moves to the Senate
On November 19, the House passed the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376), which includes the Biden-Harris Administration’s major social spending priorities. The bill will now move to the Senate where modest changes to the legislation are expected. It remains unclear whether Democrats have enough votes in the Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act. It is also possible that a final vote slips into the New Year. For more information about the child care provisions included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act, see NCFN’s November 2021 Update.
NEWS & RESOURCES
Member News
IFF published a blog on the unique challenges and needs of home-based child care providers in Michigan. Read the post >
First Five Years Fund released a blog summarizing recent survey data on ongoing challenges faced by child care providers. Read the post >
Other News
Bloomberg: How Child Care Became the Most Broken Business in America. Read the article >
The Penny Hoarder: How High are Child Care Costs? 40% of Parents Have Gone Into Debt Over It. Read the article >
Urban Institute: This Fall, the Return to Kindergarten is More Limited Than We Hoped. What’s Next? Read the article >
New York Times Opinion: A Way to Break the Cycle of Poverty. Read the article >
Upcoming Events
LIIF (speaker for Administration for Children and Families webinar): Building and Improving Facilities for Early Care and Education in Tribal Communities
December 13 | 2:30 PM ET
ReadyNation California: Women in the Workforce: The Key to California’s Economic Recovery
December 13 | 11:00 AM PT