MEDIA ADVISORY: HELP Committee to Hold Hearing on Worsening Child Care Crisis

WASHINGTON, May 30 – The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), will hold a hearing Wednesday, May 31 at 10:00 a.m. ET titled, “Solving the Child Care Crisis: Meeting the Needs of Working Families and Child Care Workers.”

Today, the care workforce at large represents millions of workers across the country, including 2 million child care workers. Despite their important work, on average, child care workers make less than parking lot attendants and pet sitters at just $13.31 per hour, and more than 50 percent rely on public assistance programs.

Meanwhile, child care is increasingly unaffordable and hard to find for working families, who rely on child care to ensure their children are safe and cared for while they go to work each day.

Details
What: Hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to consider “Solving the Child Care Crisis: Meeting the Needs of Working Families and Child Care Workers”
When: 10:00 a.m. ET, Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Where: Room 430, Dirksen Senate Office Building. The hearing will also be livestreamed on the HELP Committee’s website and Sanders’ social media pages.
Who:

  • Ms. Elizabeth Groginsky, Cabinet Secretary, New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department
  • Ms. Lauren Hogan, Managing Director of Policy and Professional Advancement, National Association for the Education of Young Children
  • Ms. Cheryl Morman, Family Child Care Provider and President, Virginia Alliance for Family Child Care Associations
  • Ms. Carrie Lukas, President, Independent Women’s Forum
  • Ms. Kathryn Larin, Director in Education, Workforce, and Income Security, Government Accountability Office