Presidential Candidate Warren Vows to Address, Affordability, Accessibility and Quality Issues of Daycare Centers
2020 Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren D-MA, intends to tackle issues about problems faced by working-class parents regarding daycare centers: affordability, accessibility and quality. Although other presidential candidates in past elections had voiced support for child care provisions, the Massachusetts Democrat is the first ever candidate to backup her promise with a well laid out plan, modeled after the U.S. military’s childcare program.
How Warren Plans to Address Affordability and Accessibility Issues in Favor of Middle and Low Income Families
This Democratic presidential candidate’s plan is to grant federal funds to U.S. states that will volunteer to participate. The state government in turn, will dole them out to cities, towns, non-government or charitable organizations, tribes, and school districts. They will then be vetted for the project they intend to run as part of a network of daycare facilities available to every family in that specific region.
Warren plans to provide subsidy funds derived from taxes imposed and collected under her proposed “Ultra-Millionaire Tax” program. In a nutshell, the “Ultra-Millionaire Tax” program, will require ultra-rich families to annually contribute a small àmount based on the value of a family’s net worth of $50 million or higher.
Senator Warren backs up this plan with a research paper prepared by two economists of the University of California. The research report arrived at a conclusion that as much as $2.75 trillion will go to the government’s daycare subsidy coffers, which will be allocated to government regulated caring centers spread widely throughout the country.
Families with household income equivalent to less than 200% of the current federal poverty level, as determined on a per state and per family size basis, will then be afforded with FREE childcare services. Those with greater earning capacity will pay fees commensurate to their household income but capped up to a maximum of seven percent (7%). The cap answers the affordability issue since it is lower than the 10% average cost that a family pays to unregulated and often times low quality daycare centers.
How Warren Plans to Address Quality Issues Clouding Existing Day Care Centers
Quality in daycare centers not only pertains to the ratio between number of childcare service provider and the number of children assigned in her care. It also delves on the safety features of the environment including the tools, devices, equipment, furniture and compliance with child safety guidelines.
Accidents in daycare centers happen, to which an incident as harmless as letting a child take a nap in an infant car seat can result to fatality. It is not a question of a daycare using only the best infant car seats as alternative sleeping provisions, but more on having knowledge of what is not safe when caring for babies and preschool children.
Senator Warren’s quality daycare services will be made to follow national standards and measures in the same way as public schools are required to do so. The government therefore will have representatives constantly supervising and checking if a child care center, fosters a safe and nurturing environment.
