NAEYC’s newest survey, completed by more than 7,500 respondents between June 17 and July 5, 2021, working across all states and settings, shows that child care still struggles to survive. We know that the COVID pandemic has reinforced the essential role of child care and early learning for children, working families, and the economy, and that emergency federal and state relief funds have provided critical support for stabilizing child care programs and preventing more widespread permanent program closures, but they do not address the systemic challenges that have plagued the child care market – parents and providers alike – for decades–they are just the beginning of what is needed to recover and rebuild.

The survey results show conclusively that “Americans understand the essential role that child care and early learning play for families and our economy. It is within our nation’s power not only to save child care, but to solve the persistent challenges that have plagued the system for generations. Now is the moment for Congress to act, by building on relief, and making the bold, sustainable, and necessary investments in quality child care and early learning that will respond to our communities’ short and long term needs and support families’ economic security and children’s success.”

To read the full report visit here.