Written by CentroNía Director of Development and Communications, Patrick Salami
A few weeks ago, Under 3 DC published its report “The High Cost of Unaffordable Child Care”, and it was widely hoped that the powers that be were listening as it highlighted the difficulty in accessing childcare for infants and toddlers and how it costs working parents $252 million, businesses $79 million and taxpayers $64 million annually.
CentroNía has been at the front lines of the challenges faced by the families we serve in accessing high quality affordable childcare. This report sheds more light on the precise financial toll on income-constrained working parents of children under three.
What has also been refreshing is the Viewpoint shared by the President & CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, Angela Franco. In this article published in the Washington Business Journal, Ms. Franco, intimated that the D.C. Chamber of Commerce has long been aware of the struggles faced by D.C. parents in securing reliable and affordable childcare while sustaining employment.
Anecdotes shared within the chamber and neighborhood platforms reflect sentiments of frustration and urgency, with parents expressing difficulties in finding childcare and business owners recognizing the impact of employee absenteeism due to childcare issues.
This is why the Coalition led by Under 3 DC is calling on the DC Council to act immediately to reverse these proposed cuts.