Mazie Hirono: “I come to the floor today to express my support for the Child Care for Working Families Act, which I was proud to…”

“I come to the floor today to express my support for the Child Care for Working Families Act, which I was proud to introduce earlier this afternoon with Senators Murray, Casey, and 30 of our Senate colleagues. We know that investments in early childhood programs are foundational for future academic and social success. Yet child care remains unaffordable for too many working families in the United States. For parents worried about how to pay for basic living expenses like housing, food, education, and transportation, increasing child care costs can place a heavy burden on family budgets. As a young immigrant from Japan who was raised by a single, working mother, I understand the difficult decisions families have to make every day to survive. I have experienced these challenges firsthand. Yet, all these years later, for many Hawaii families, child care costs exceed all other expenses besides housing. On average, Hawaii parents can expect to pay $8,280 per year, or $690 per month, in child care expenses. These costs are 25 percent higher than they were just a decade ago, but wages have hardly kept pace. As a result, Hawaii families will dedicate around 11 percent of their family budget to child care--exceeding the government's standard for affordable care. Unfortunately, even for families that can afford child care, finding that needed care may be difficult. This is because our early childhood educators and child care workers are overworked and underpaid.…”