Author: Lea Woods

Lea Woods is a policy associate in the women’s economic justice department at The Century Foundation where her work focuses on a range of issues, including paid family leave and child care. Prior to joining The Century Foundation, Lea worked for the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), where she organized conferences and convenings for state-level think tanks and advocacy groups. She has worked in fundraising and communications at nonprofits that promote women’s economic security and political power, including the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and the Center for Women’s Leadership. Additional political experience includes interning in a congressional office and working on a gubernatorial reelection campaign.

Pandemic-Era Childcare Funding Has Officially Run Out. Childcare Providers and Children Will Pay the Price.

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Passed in January 2021 with the goal of providing COVID-era relief, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocated $39 billion towards childcare programming. The majority—$24 billion—went directly to childcare and daycare centers, to help the programs remain open and staffed. On Sept. 30, that funding expired, and Congress took no action to extend it. Last month, Senate Democrats introduced The Child Care Stabilization Act, a bill to extend childcare stabilization funding for five years. But until the measure gets support from Republicans, it cannot be considered for a vote.

More than 3 million children are projected to lose access to childcare nationwide, and 70,000 childcare programs are likely to close. This will have ripple effects for parents forced out of work or to cut their work hours, for businesses who will lose valuable employees or experience the impact of their employees’ childcare disruptions, and state economies that will lose tax revenue and jobs in the childcare sector as a result.