The Joint Economic Committee Held a hearing on the Building Blocks for Success: Investing in Early Childhood education.
Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico serves as Chairman of this committee.
During his opening statement he said we can strengthen our economy.
“This Congress, this Committee has repeatedly discussed how important it is to invest in our nations’ kids and families. Time and again, our witnesses have reiterated how investing in kids strengthens our economy, immediately and long into the future. The data clearly shows that having access to affordable and reliable early childhood education unlocks benefits for parents, their kids, and the economy.”
Senator Heinrich said Inaccessible Child Care is Costing the country billions
“In total, researchers estimate that inaccessible child care costs anywhere between $8.3 and $78 billion in lost wages every year. The benefits of accessible and affordable child care pay off long into the future, with higher lifetime earnings and better outcomes for many kids who participated in early childhood education. This, in turn, leads to a stronger workforce, economy, and revenue base at the local, state, and federal levels. All while driving down spending on social services.”
He said that Families are spending too much on Child care.
“Families are currently spending an average of 10% of their income on child care, despite the fact that the Department of Health and Human Services recommends no more than 7%.”
Heinrich said he agrees with the Treasury Secretary’s description of the child care system.
“Treasury Secretary Yellen has described the child care market as a textbook case of a broken market. I agree. But if we can build momentum, we can get this market working – all while helping get parents back to work, too.”
Senator Heinrich said New Mexico has set the national standard for accessible child care.
“Today, we’ll hear more about how we fought to lead the way in New Mexico, setting the standard when it comes to providing accessible child care and pre-K to every family. That journey started over ten years ago, when families and advocates in New Mexico fought to amend our state constitution to tap into our land grant permanent fund so we could deliver the benefits of early childhood education to every single one of our kids. At the federal level, we are far from the standard New Mexico has set. But we have made good investments in federal tax credits and programs that help families recoup certain child care expenses.”