Childcare workers striking in 27 states Monday; looking for higher wages, more affordable care

Hundreds of day care centers have pledged to close on Monday as workers highlight the need for better wages for themselves and more affordable child care for everyone, according to USA Today.

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Nearly 400 early child care professionals in 27 states have pledged to stay away from work as part of “A Day Without Child Care: A National Day of Action.”

There are more than 40 events scheduled Monday at different state capitals or city halls to highlight three goals that Community Change Action, which backs the “A Day without Child Care” event, says the event represents: living wages for child care providers, “an equitable child care system built on racial justice,” and affordable child care for all families.

Salaries for child care workers in the United States range from $8.91 an hour to $17.99 an hour, according to numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While salaries remained low in the industry, the average cost of child care per year in the U.S. in 2020, the latest year for which data is available, was $10,174. In 2019, the average cost for a year of child care was $9,687.

Nearly half a million families were estimated to have been stranded without reliable child care after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report published by Wells Fargo economists.

“Access to childcare has been shown time and again to boost labor force participation among mothers,” the authors wrote. “For employers struggling to find workers now and facing a future of dismal labor supply growth, improving childcare options for parents means a larger and more experienced workforce to draw upon.”

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