Congressman's support for child care valuable

As we enter this season of thankfulness, I want to take a moment to share my gratitude for Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and his votes supporting vital financial assistance for early child care and education providers, children and families earlier this year. As a Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) advocate, a nurse and mother, I know how crucial child care is for our children, community and economy.

Many child-care and preschool centers are small businesses that operate on thin margins. They cannot afford to stay open when their enrollment rates decline or when they must take on additional operating costs, like purchasing PPE. COVID-19 placed an already fragile industry in an increasingly dire situation. Since the start of the pandemic, nearly one-third of child-care providers have closed due to decreased enrollment and increased costs.

Approximately 200,000 jobs - 20 percent of the entire industry - have been lost nationwide. As the nation and our economy recover from the virus, millions of parents will depend on affordable, safe, high-quality early child care and education to get back to work.

I am thankful for Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi for voting to include child care in stimulus legislation earlier this year. As Congress looks to debating a new stimulus package, I hope Rep. Krishnamoorthi will continue to stand up for providers, children and families during this crisis and beyond.

Andrea van der Hoek

Palatine