119th Congress: Bipartisan Child Care Legislation in the House and Senate – First Five Years Fund

The Socio-Economic Impact of Child Care Accessibility on Sustainable Development Goals

Impact on Economic Stability, Decent Work, and Poverty Reduction (SDG 1 & SDG 8)

The availability of reliable and affordable child care is a critical component for achieving economic stability for families and fostering national economic growth. A significant portion of the workforce is impacted, as two-thirds of children under five require care due to the employment of all available parents. The current landscape of high costs and limited availability presents a substantial barrier to these objectives.

• Economic Strain on Families: The financial burden of child care forces parents into difficult economic decisions, such as career interruptions or accumulating debt, directly undermining efforts toward SDG 1: No Poverty.
• Economic Impact on Employers and the Nation: Child care challenges are a primary concern for employers, leading to difficulties in recruitment and retention. This results in diminished daily productivity and costs the national economy billions annually in lost revenue and earnings, hindering progress on SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Advancing Gender Equality and Quality Education (SDG 5 & SDG 4)

Accessible child care is fundamental to promoting gender equality and ensuring foundational early learning opportunities. The lack of adequate options disproportionately affects women’s participation in the labor force and limits children’s access to quality early education.

• Gender Equality: The responsibility of child care often impedes women’s career progression and economic independence. By providing robust child care solutions, progress is made toward SDG 5: Gender Equality.
• Quality Education: High-quality child care serves as a crucial first step in a child’s educational journey, establishing a foundation for lifelong learning and contributing directly to SDG 4: Quality Education.

Legislative Framework and Proposed Solutions for SDG Alignment

Congressional Role in Supporting Sustainable Development

The United States Congress has a pivotal role in addressing the child care crisis to align with national and global development goals. Federal programs are essential instruments that benefit families across all states and congressional districts, providing a mechanism to reduce inequality (SDG 10) and support pro-family, pro-work policies.

Bipartisan Legislative Proposals

A selection of bipartisan bills has been proposed to address the multifaceted challenges of the child care system. These legislative efforts are designed to create systemic improvements that support the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals. The primary objectives of these bills include:

1. Support for Working Families: Alleviating financial strain to combat poverty (SDG 1) and support workforce participation (SDG 8).
2. Improvement of the Early Learning and Care Workforce: Enhancing the quality of educators and caregivers to support decent work (SDG 8) and quality education (SDG 4).
3. Elevation of Quality Standards: Ensuring that child care settings provide enriching environments that foster early development (SDG 4).
4. Increased Access and Affordability: Removing barriers for low-income families and women to reduce inequality (SDG 10) and promote gender equality (SDG 5).
5. Strengthening of Existing Programs: Bolstering the current federal infrastructure to ensure sustainable, long-term support for families and providers.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article emphasizes the need for “quality child care” and improving the “early learning and care workforce.” This directly aligns with the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, starting from early childhood.
2. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • Although not explicitly stated, the challenge of child care disproportionately affects women, who often have to pause their careers to care for children. By addressing child care, the article implicitly touches upon empowering women to participate fully in the workforce, a key aspect of gender equality.
3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The article clearly states that inadequate child care options are a “leading concern among employers” who “struggle to recruit and retain workers.” It also highlights that this issue “costs the national economy billions in lost revenue, earnings, and productivity each year.” Supporting child care is presented as a “pro-work” policy that boosts productivity and economic growth.
4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The focus on “affordable” child care and helping “hardworking families” who endure “financial strain” points to reducing inequalities. High-cost child care creates a barrier for lower-income families, limiting their economic opportunities and their children’s access to quality early learning. Federal programs aim to reduce this economic disparity.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.
   • The article’s call to “improve the early learning and care workforce, elevate quality, increase access and affordability” is a direct reflection of this target. The statement that “two-thirds of all children under the age of five need care” underscores the scale of this need.
2. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies.
   • The article advocates for federal programs and legislation to support families with child care needs. This represents the implementation of social protection policies that help alleviate the burden of care work, which is a core component of this target.
3. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.
   • The article links child care availability directly to the workforce, noting that parents “paus[e] their careers” and employers “struggle to recruit and retain workers.” By proposing solutions to child care, the article addresses a major barrier to achieving full and productive employment, especially for parents.
4. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • By aiming to make child care affordable and accessible, the proposed bills seek to ensure that parents, regardless of their economic status, are not excluded from the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities. This promotes economic inclusion for families facing “financial strain.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator for Target 4.2: Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age).
   • The article implies this by stating that “two-thirds of all children under the age of five need care.” An increase in the number or percentage of these children who are in “quality” and “early learning” environments would be a direct measure of progress.
2. Indicator for Target 8.5: Labor force participation rate.
   • The article implies this by describing how child care challenges force parents to “paus[e] their careers” and cause employers to “struggle to recruit and retain workers.” A successful intervention would lead to a higher and more stable labor force participation rate among parents of young children.
3. Indicator for Target 10.2: Proportion of household expenditure on child care.
   • The article’s focus on “high costs,” “affordability,” and “financial strain” implies that a key measure of success would be a reduction in the financial burden on families. Tracking the percentage of family income spent on child care would serve as a relevant indicator.

Summary Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: ffyf.org