Ilhan Omar: “As our country recovers from this devastating pandemic, it is critical we prioritize our families. All working families…”

“As our country recovers from this devastating pandemic, it is critical we prioritize our families. All working families deserve to thrive, and that starts with ensuring high- quality, affordable childcare. This is a generational opportunity to invest in affordable, quality care for all children, and I urge my colleagues not to let it go to waste. Right now, the average cost of childcare for children under 5 is around $10,000 a year. This amount is even higher for infants. In my home State of Minnesota, we have some of the highest childcare costs in the Nation, ranking fourth in the country. A minimum-wage worker working full-time in my district in Minneapolis would have to work 30 weeks to cover the cost of childcare for one infant. This is unconscionable. As a mom, I know how difficult it can be to find affordable childcare options and how a lack of childcare impacts all aspects of life, including the ability to graduate from college while taking care of young children or even the ability to find a job and thrive. We need universal childcare and pre-K for all families, and we need to pay our childcare workers a living wage. Ensuring affordable, quality care for every child and family would stimulate the economy and have a lasting benefit for children's development and growth.…”