The ‘right’ to child care? 5 ideas from Crawling Behind.

Elliot Haspel, the author of Crawling Behind: America’s Childcare Crisis and How to Fix It (Black Rose, 2019), joined Capita for a digital briefing (video below) on December 16, 2019. A writer and philanthropic program officer living in Richmond, Virginia, he argues in his book that free, universal childcare for every American family not only is a great idea, but actually possible and necessary. The briefing was moderated by Katie Albitz of the New York Association for the Education of Young Children.

During Capita’s recent digital briefing Elliot made five key points:

Child care should be free—a right for every American family. The federal government or another entity literally would pay at least $15,000 per child to each family for child care, ages zero to 5, with no means-test. This plan differs from some advocates’ argument that American families shouldn’t have to pay more than 7% of their income for child care.

It’d be expensive, but it should be. Haspel notes that nationally, the cost would likely runin the hundreds of billions of dollars. But Haspel argues it’s both needed and possible: he notes that employers could actually support moderate hikes in corporate taxes if child care means their employees are supported better.

Free, high-quality child care also could mean more skilled workers return to the workforce, including those who may not wish to stay home and care for children for the long term; every jurisdiction that has implemented a version of free child care has seen enough mothers enter the workforce that the programs pay for themselves. Also, rising interest in things like carbon taxes and cannabis taxes signals more sources of revenue could be on the horizon. Colorado already makes hundreds of millions of dollars annually from taxes on legalized marijuana, Haspel notes.

What about stay-at-home parents or relatives who provide child care? These situations would qualify. Roughly one-third of American households still have a stay-at-home parent caring for children, Haspel says. He suggests we should honor these choices and also ensure caregiver parents aren’t chronically stressed out.

Also, in many small towns or rural areas, the only child care available may be in someone’s home or through a relative. “Family structures are shifting, we’re in the gig economy,” Haspel says, but “when a family is thriving, children are generally thriving.”

The issue’s hitting home for most families. Haspel argues that the high costs of quality child care are one of the most pressing issues for many middle-class families—and even -upper-middle-class families. This means the child care crisis is reaching a tipping point that could result in radical changes.

Haspel and his wife and their peers are examples of parents in their 30s with middle-class incomes who should be able to afford child care. But it’s a tremendous burden. In his book, Haspel profiles a couple who makes about $150,000, but high living costs in the San Francisco Bay area means that without having child-care costs covered, the family simply cannot can reach financial independence. Not to mention single parents or those with much lower incomes.

Countries like Denmark and Finland have made improving the first five years for children a national priority, allowing for innovations such as community co-op centers that provide families with flexible opportunities for child care, Haspel says.

Making it happen. Haspel says there would be lots of details to work through. First, how would such a massive change impact the home-based, child-care providers that serve so many families, especially in low-income areas and communities of color? The plan should be voluntary--a grandmother suddenly wouldn’t be required to finish a college degree to care for her grandchildren or friends’ children. While no family would be forced to participate, children would have to be cared for by someone showing some level of competency and training, if the caregiver wants to earn the subsidy.

“The national conversation is not here yet,” Haspel admits. “Part of the reason I wrote this book is to try to shift the conversation.” A major shift will require champions—state or local leaders who decide it’s an issue worth pursuing. Interestingly, the idea of universal, free child-care in the U.S. goes virtually ignored compared to debate over K-12 education, health care, or the costs of college tuition—yet is just as pressing for many families.