Posted on

Today, I’m trying something new.

Many of you have told me that you want to dive deeper into the issues that surround our work at Moms First — that you want to be more versed on the ins and outs of the policies and topics in the news so you can be a better activist and a better resource in your group texts. Look, you don’t need to twist my arm to nerd out on this stuff.

So, I’m introducing The First Word, a weekly deep dive into the issues that matter most to moms (and those who support them). It’s an easy way to get up to speed on a subject without sacrificing substance or losing focus on solutions. We’re experimenting with sending this every Thursday for a few months, and we want to hear from you about how it’s going. After you check it out, just hit reply to send us your feedback.

Child Care Is an Economic Imperative

We’ve been talking a lot about child care lately, so I want to take this first edition to get to the root of the issue — why it’s not just crucial for working parents, but central to our economy as a whole.

First, let me rewind and fill you all in on how I got involved in this work to begin with and how Moms First came to be.

Five years ago today, the country was in lockdown. Here in New York, the governor issued a statewide order that all non-essential workers must stay at home. Suddenly, our lives were flipped upside down and I’ll give you one guess on who was asked to hold it all together. Yep, it was us moms. COVID turned us into child care workers, teachers, cooks, IT support, you name it. It was too much — millions of moms decided to drop out of the workforce, a shift that scarred our economy and unwound decades of progress toward equality.

For me, all the alarm bells were going off at once. All I could think is our society is failing moms. That didn’t start with the pandemic, of course. But that lockdown era exacerbated problems to a breaking point. So I helped write an open letter in the New York Times calling for a Marshall Plan for Moms — a set of bold policy proposals, from paid leave to affordable child care to pay equity, to create a world in which moms can thrive.

Tens of thousands jumped on board, and soon I realized that I needed to convert that energy into an organization that could organize and fight for the structural change that moms need and deserve. And so Moms First came to be.

Fast forward to today, and Moms First is a movement representing America’s 85 million moms. We’ve built a reputation for being relentless and savvy. But we’re still surrounded by elected officials who just don’t get it — who can’t or won’t understand why moms are struggling, who can’t or won’t see the solutions in front of them that can help moms survive, kids thrive, and our economy to prosper.

Nowhere is that more obvious than the child care crisis that is developing in front of our eyes. Ask any parent what rises to the top of their budget, and I can guarantee they’ll tell you that the cost of groceries doesn’t even begin to compare with the cost of child care. In fact, child care affordability is so out of control that it now costs more than rent (a crisis in its own right) in all 50 states.

The stats are bad enough. But the true impact of a crisis like this doesn’t always immediately show up in the data. When you take a minute to unpack it, you see an economy in peril. When families are struggling to make ends meet, they have less disposable income. Less money spent leads to economic sluggishness. Meanwhile, parents (and let’s be real, it’s almost always moms) are forced to make hard choices between their careers and their kids. Some will cut back on their hours or even quit altogether.

As one mom told me recently, “We have two children and are paying 160% of our mortgage to have them in daycare so we can both work full time… We both love being parents AND are both proud of our educational and professional accomplishments. We don’t want to give those up, but the financial strain of being able to work as a parent is a constant source of anxiety.”

Now consider that this is about a family that was fortunate enough to navigate wait lists and jump through hoops just to land child care. And they’re rewarded for that effort by getting to spend 160% of their mortgage on it. No new parent ever picked up their newborn and said, “I can’t wait to plunge us into debt over your daycare.” It’s no wonder some have considered giving up careers over it.

No matter how you slice it, you’re looking at a less productive workforce, family budgets on fumes, and an economic downward spiral that gets harder and harder to fix every single day.

It actually reminds me of those early days of the pandemic. Without strong intervention from our leaders, everyone could see our economy was heading for disaster. Back then, lawmakers took action — it jump-started the economy, saved businesses, and kept families afloat.

Where is that kind of leadership today? As I write this, there are members of Congress actively trying to cut the only programs in place to help parents cover the cost of child care. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (or CDCTC) provides on average $600 per year in tax relief for parents. For most of us, that’s barely scratching the surface, but it’s something. Now is a time to expand that program, not reduce or end it.

Here’s the kicker: This issue is not even a little bit controversial. In fact, it’s one area in which Republicans and Democrats share a ton of common ground. A recent poll showed that 79% of voters want Congress to increase the tax credits parents can receive for child care — including 75% of Republicans, 78% of independents, and 85% of Democrats.

And yet, nothing from our leaders in Washington, D.C.. Parents should be outraged.

Every election cycle, we hear politicians promise to fight for families. When it comes time to pass the legislation, those promises shift to “maybe next time.”

My message to those lawmakers is simple: We’re done waiting — we demand solutions. If lawmakers don’t take action, we’ll be feeling the consequences for years to come.

So… about that?

The rest of this newsletter will offer up a few things that may rotate on a weekly basis like (1) an Action Center where you’ll find urgent, meaningful ways to make an impact; (2) the story of an inspiring mom who is championing for change in her community and (3) a digest of recent articles, podcasts, and what-have-you that we’ve been sending around in our own personal mom text threads.

Our hope is every newsletter will leave you informed, educated, and empowered to fight like hell for change.

 
Two quick things you can do this week that will help make a big impact:

 
Nicole Taetsch started Politics for Parents as a vision for engaging busy, time-strapped parents on policy issues directly impacting families. Her mission? Make political engagement accessible for parents and provide them with ways to advocate for meaningful political change.

“We can shift discourse away from disinformation toward substantive, non-partisan policy discussions by focusing on the issues that matter”, said Nicole.

As a New Jersey resident and mom of two, she is focused on making affordable child care a key issue in state elections this year, starting with a petition to get child care on the ballot.

Are you a mom on a mission to change the future of motherhood? Let us know what you’re up to — email firstword@momsfirst.us.

 
Check out what people are saying about Moms First in the news:

  • Dads are leaving $1.6 billion in paid parental leave on the table — and that’s a leadership problem (Motherly)
  • New York Dads Forgo $1.6 Billion in Paid State Leave, Study Says (Bloomberg)
  • Dads Who Don’t Use Their Paid Leave Are Losing Out On Family Bonding And Money (Forbes)

Thanks for reading this first issue of The First Word. I hope you’ll share it with a friend. This is just the beginning — together, we can turn awareness into action and fight for the solutions moms and families deserve.

 
Let’s get it done,
Reshma Saujani