Lindsay Percival has been a child care provider in Evanston, Illinois, for decades. She loves her job, but that passion is not enough to pay the bills. Every time she admits a new child into the Learning Bridge Early Education Center, she knows there’s an 80% chance that she’s taking on $6,000 in annual debt. Across all five classrooms in her child care program, that can add up to a total deficit of over $300,000 each year.
This massive deficit arises from the mismatch between how Illinois subsidizes early care and education for low-income families and the actual cost of providing high-quality care. And Lindsay is far from the only child care provider facing this pinch.
Thankfully, President Joe Biden has a plan to finally address our nation’s child care crisis. In his State of the Union address last week, Biden reminded the American people that in this time of inflation, Congress can and must help lower everyday costs for families.
