NLC is committed to providing cities, towns and villages with the tools they need to Respond, Recover and Rebuild, and has released ten new policy briefs meant to provide clear, actionable steps that municipal leaders can take to respond to the impact of COVID-19 in their communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put family members into full-time caregiving roles for months on end with many families struggling to find adequate care while they go to work. As the pandemic continues, family members find themselves as around-the-clock caregivers trying to keep their children, aging parents, and family members with a disability safe while working remotely. Beyond being stressful and exhausting, that reality has forced millions of parents/family members, mostly women, to make tough decisions about how much to work, if at all.
These are unprecedented times and local government will play a key role in ensuring that their community can recover from a caregiving crisis in a way that is equitable and prioritizes the needs of children and families. Big or small, city, town, or village, local government is uniquely positioned to improve early childhood outcomes and create equal supports to the diverse needs of the elderly and disabled populations to ensure a tomorrow where children and families can succeed. Key takeaways for local officials include:
- Recognize early childhood workers and providers as critical players in community health and well-being and vital to economic recovery.
- Example: The Governor of Nevada Steve Sisolak declared child care facilities as essential enabling these businesses to continue to safely provide care during the pandemic.
- Strengthen the early childhood workforce by including childcare center operators as small business owners.
- Example: The City of Walla Walla, WA Small Business Relief Program supported child care programs through its micro-small business loan program.
- Connect early childhood educators with local, state, and federal financial supports.
- Example: The Philadelphia Emergency Fund for Stabilization of Early Education in the City of Philadelphia, PA was created with funding from the William Penn Foundation and Vanguard Foundation’s Strong Start for Kids.
- Improve the local system of supports and services for caregivers for the elderly and disabled.
- Example: DuPage County and the City of Naperville, IL have opened a Caregiving Resource Center to provide respite care and gap-filling services to informal or family caregivers of persons over the age of 60. Services can include respite care, home modification, assistive devices, transportation and financial assistance.
Cities and towns, and the nation as a whole, benefit from investing in high-quality early care and education and caregiving for loved ones who may be elderly or live with disabilities. This is vital for the children and adults who need care, as well as to support the workforce of city governments and businesses, nonprofits and other employers in the community.
Learn More
See NLC’s COVID-19 Response Principles, and specific brief: Supporting Early Childhood Providers and Other Caregivers.
About the Authors
How Hartford is Strengthening the Early Childhood Workforce
- Annika List
How Jacksonville is Building Partnerships and Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce to Create Quality Services
- Annika List
Use Your Remaining ARPA Dollars to Fund Workforce Scholarship Programs
Empowering Small Cities with the Nature Everywhere Community Action Challenge
- Melanie Robinson
- Andrew Moore
On Your Mind: Commissioner Amber Sellers of Lawrence, KS Discusses How Early Childhood Investments Support Community Wellbeing
Stressed Parents, Stressed Cities: Understanding the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Parental Stress
- Lara Burt
- Sarah Weller-Pegna, MPH