Fund Child Care Advocacy Action Toolkit

May 15, 2020

This toolkit is provided by the Center for American Progress.

The latest House coronavirus bill text, the HEROES Act, includes $7 billion for CCDBG funding for the child care industry, but child care providers, advocates, and national organizations are calling for much more. In the last month, the child care sector has lost more than 300,000 workers, a third of its workforce, and data from the National Women’s Law Center and the Center for Law and Social Policy show that it will take at least $9.6B per month to sustain the child care sector. Unless Congress provides significant funding for the child care sector, data from the Center for American Progress finds that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a permanent loss of nearly 4.5 million child care slots.

This is why we’re calling on Congress to act immediately.

Call your U.S. Representative: The call in number is live for people to urge their Representative to #FundChildCare. People can text “CARE” to 747-464 or call 1-888-523-8974.

TIPS ON MAKING AN IMPACTFUL PHONE CALL/EMAIL

Make it personal: why do you want your member of Congress to support child care?
Allow response time: The person you are calling will likely be receiving many calls throughout the day. To make your call memorable, try your best to make it a conversation.
Include a call to action: They need to remember why you’re calling. We’ve listed the asks below.
Make the script below your own. You care about child care and you should feel empowered to say why.

CALL IN SCRIPT

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent of [MEMBER OF CONGRESS]. I’m calling to thank you for the emergency child care measures passed so far in response to the COVID-19 crisis and to ask you to push for additional, significant investments for child care in the HEROES Act. The current $7 billion is not enough.

We know that half of child care providers have already shut their doors and unless Congress provides significant funding for the industry, many of these closures will be permanent. The U.S. stands to lose half of our child care industry due to coronavirus, and parents won’t be able to go back to work and the economy will not be able to reopen without it. Congress must take action and provide significant funding in the HEROES Act.

[if negative reaction] I hope you reconsider. Your constituents need secure child care options. We can’t afford to not have any child care once states choose to reopen.
[if positive reaction] Thank you for listening. I hope you’ll ask House leadership to increase the funding level for child care in the HEROES Act. We need at least $50 billion for child care, which is estimated to last less than six months.

SAMPLE EMAIL LANGUAGE

Subject: Fund Child Care in the HEROES Act

Dear [Member of Congress],

I’m writing to ask you to support the child care industry with increased funding in the HEROES Act. I want to thank you for the emergency coronavirus child care measures you’ve helped pass thus far, but $7 billion for child care currently in the HEROES Act is not enough for child care providers to keep their doors open. Just in the last month, the child care sector has lost more than a third of its workforce. [FOR FRIENDLY OFFICES/EDIT DEPENDING ON YOUR ORG’S ASK: Analysis of the child care sector shows that it will take at least $50 billion per month to sustain the child care sector for just six months]. Unless Congress provides significant funding for the child care sector, the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a permanent loss of nearly half of all child care.

The child industry needs substantially more funding so that the economy can reopen. Child care providers support our families, businesses, and the economy. You can support them by increasing funding in the HEROES Act right away.

Thank you,

XXX

SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA COPY

Congressional Twitter Handles to Mention:

List of official Twitter handles for all Members of Congress linked here

Promotional Tweets

Join providers, parents, advocates and allies tomorrow, 5/14, as we call on members of Congress to substantially #FundChildCare in the #HEROESAct. $7 billion is not enough to save the industry!
The latest proposed House #HEROESAct currently includes just $7 billion to #FundChildCare. This is not enough to save the industry! Join us on 5/14 to tell your member of Congress the industry needs substantially more funding if it’s going to stay afloat.
Providers and advocates have been telling us for years that the child care industry is critical for families and our economy. Join us on 5/14 to tell your member of Congress that $7B in the #HEROESAct isn’t enough to #FundChildCare.

General Tweets

Data shows that we’ll need a significant increase in the #HEROESAct for the child care industry to be there when it’s safe for parents to return to work. [@Member] we need your help to save the industry and #FundChildCare.
.[@MEMBER]. A vast majority of voters support funding to bail out the child care industry. $7 billion in the next #HEROESAct won’t get the job done. #FundChildCare https://info.childcareaware.org/media/survey-vast-majority-of-voters-support-financial-assistance-for-americas-child-care-industry-to-address-covid-19-impact
The latest proposed funding for child care in the #HEROESAct only includes $7 billion for CCDBG — this is not enough to save the industry! Congress has the power to give the industry substantially more funding, [@Member] we need your help to #FundChildCare.
.[@MEMBER]. 87% of voters support federal assistance for child care providers during COVID-19 to ensure they can make payroll and pay other expenses, such as rent and utilities. The #HEROESAct needs to substantially #FundChildCare. https://info.childcareaware.org/media/survey-vast-majority-of-voters-support-financial-assistance-for-americas-child-care-industry-to-address-covid-19-impact
Child care plays an important role always — and even more so during a public health & economic emergency. Congress must work to save the child care industry in the #HEROESAct with substantially more funding. #FundChildCare
Call your member of Congress at 1-844-633-2048 and urge them to substantially #FundChildCare in the #HEROESAct. $7 billion is not enough!

Tweets For Providers

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated how critical child care is for our families, communities, and economy. [@MEMBER], without immediate action to substantially #FundChildCare in the #HEROESAct, many centers and providers could close permanently.
The last #COVID19 stimulus package was a start for providers to begin accessing the funds they need to save the child care industry. The newly proposed $7 billion won’t be enough. [@MEMBER] please show your support and call on Congress to #FundChildCare in the #HEROESAct.
Early educators are essential to the U.S. economy, providing a critical support for families. If the child care industry doesn’t get substantially more funding in the #HEROESAct, we may not be there when it’s safe for parents to return to work. #FundChildCare
.[@MEMBER] , we are counting on you to prioritize increased funding for child care in the #HEROESAct. $7 billion is not enough to save the industry! #FundChildCare

Tweets For Parents

.[@MEMBER]. Congress must ensure the child care industry is still standing when it’s safe for all parents to return to work. $7 billion for CCDBG is not enough to #FundChildCare and save the industry in the #HEROESAct.
.[@MEMBER]. Take a look at how COVID-19 is impacting child care in [INSERT YOUR STATE]. We must significantly #FundChildCare in the #HEROESAct to keep providers afloat and ensure that parents have child care when it’s safe to return to work. https://childcarerelief.org/by-the-numbers-state-by-state-look-at-covid-19-and-child-care/
The child care industry is at risk of losing half of all slots. Congress needs to provide substantially more than $7B to #FundChildCare in the #HEROESAct, so families won’t struggle to find care when it’s safe to return to work.

https://www.americanprogress.org/?p=483817

Tweets for Advocates

.[@MEMBER] saving the child care industry is not only the right thing to do; but it’s a pathway to progress on issues of equity for when it’s safe for parents to return to work. We need you to call on Congress to substantially #FundChildCare in the #HEROESAct.
The latest proposed #HEROESAct doesn’t take this seriously. Call your member of Congress to tell them $7B isn’t enough to save child care.
Providing $50B in the #HEROESAct would provide just over five months of emergency child care and relief to keep providers afloat. This is a good start. [@MEMBER], here is how much [INSERT YOUR STATE] would receive if we #FundChildCare.
$6.3 billion is required each month to support open providers so they can offer safe, comprehensive emergency care at no cost to an estimated 6 million children of essential workers. Congress must invest at least 50 Billion!
https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/publications/2020/05/2020_50billionpandemicchildcare_0.pdf

Tweets for Paid Leave Advocates

I’m grateful for the improvements to paid leave in the #HEROESAct, but families need child care too. Congress needs to significantly increase funding for child care or we risk losing half the child care in the U.S. #FundChildCare
Thank you @SpeakerPelosi for prioritizing paid leave in the #HEROESAct, but we need more funding for child care or families can’t go back to work. Please #FundChildCare!