Lukas’s full testimony can be found HERE once the hearing begins [10 a.m. ET].
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) today announced Carrie Lukas, president at IWF, will provide expert testimony before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee at 10:00 a.m. ET tomorrow, May 31. Lukas, who has covered the issue of daycare and child care for decades, will offer principles lawmakers should keep in mind when considering policies designed to help parents of young children access child care.
The Subcommittee on Children and Families hearing, entitled “‘Solving the Child Care Crisis: Meeting the Needs of Working Families and Child Care Workers,” will examine how policymakers can address the challenges facing parents related to accessing and affording child care. Lukas has been vocal in cautioning policy makers against trying to push one-size-fits-all government-approved childcare centers, arguing that it would do more harm than good.
In her testimony, Lukas states, in part, “The premise of today’s hearing is that there is a childcare ‘crisis’ making sweeping government intervention necessary. Yet the reality is different: many parents face significant challenges related to accessing and affording childcare, but many are also satisfied with their existing arrangements. In fact, a 2021 Bipartisan Public Policy Center survey found that two-thirds (66%) of families with a single parent or two working parents say they were using their ideal childcare arrangement in January 2020. That’s important because policymakers should seek to help those who need it, but also not disrupt arrangements that are working for parents.”
Lukas will provide testimony that describes her perspective as a mother of five who has utilized a variety of different paid childcare arrangements.
Specific areas of concern that Lukas will focus on in her testimony include:
- Most parents do not prefer formal daycare settings over having family or family-like care, even if formal care is free and in a convenient location;
- The danger of childcare and preschool systems operating like K-12 public schools, including union-driven disruptions and systems that are focused on pleasing government officials rather than serving families;
- Regulations that needlessly burden potential childcare providers; and
- Policies that make financial support conditional on childcare arrangements, incentivizing the use of paid childcare over family members as caregivers.
During her testimony, Lukas will highlight the need for Congress to:
- Reject proposals which would heavily incentivize the use of institutional day care—parents’ least preferred option;
- Reject any public policy change that would make childcare and preschool systems function more like K-12 public schools, including by government becoming the primary funder and setting the rules for what constitutes an approved daycare provider;
- Reduce regulations to increase the quantity and diversity of daycare providers;
- Financially support families, not daycare providers; and
- Recognize that government-approved day care isn’t necessarily the best option for children.
Witness List:
- Carrie Lukas, president of Independent Women’s Forum;
- Elizabeth Groginsky, cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department;
- Lauren Hogan, managing director of policy and professional advancement at the National Association for the Education of Young Children;
- Cheryl Morman, family child care provider and president at the Virginia Alliance for Family Child Care Associations; and
- Kathryn Larin, director in education, workforce, and income security at the Government Accountability Office.
Details:
WHAT: U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, Subcommittee on Children and Families hearing, “Solving the Child Care Crisis: Meeting the Needs of Working Families and Child Care Workers”
WHEN: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. ET
WHERE: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 430
The hearing will be open to the public and press.
Media Inquiries: [email protected]
Lukas’s full testimony can be found HERE once the hearing begins.
Livestream is available HERE.