Child Care Staffing Cuts, Closures Are Coming as Funding Cliff Approaches
A crucial source of emergency funding for US child-care providers is running out
Children at an education and childcare center in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Photographer: Kathryn Gamble/BloombergThe child-care industry is set to lose a $24 billion lifeline this weekend. The expiration of the pandemic-era funding could leave 3.2 million children without spots in care as providers are forced to limit operating hours, cut resources or even close centers.
Bloomberg News reporter Kelsey Butler hosted a LinkedIn audio event discussing what the change could mean for the labor market. Allison Robinson, chief executive officer of recruitment marketplace the Mom Project, Shelley Zalis, CEO of the Female Quotient, which advocates for gender diversity in the workplace, and Bloomberg News reporters Reade Pickert and Ryan Teague Beckwith, who cover economy and politics respectively, participated in the discussion. It’s condensed here for length and clarity.