In March 2021, American parents got something unexpected: help. That month, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, which allocated a whopping $24 billion to childcare providers as part of the Child Care Stabilization Program. This came after childcare expenses soared for decades, turning into what Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called “a textbook example of a broken market.”
But that helping hand is being withdrawn, and parents are bracing for a slap in the face this Sept. 30. Pandemic assistance is set to expire this weekend, leaving America on the edge of what many experts and politicians are calling a childcare cliff that will impact providers, parents, and children.
