The strain it has put on all of you is only matched by the strain it has put on your businesses, pushing you to the breaking point in many cases. The good news is that much needed help has arrived. A new stimulus bill was signed on December 27th, 2020. There are some familiar programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as well as some old ones that are being implemented in new ways, like the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).

Kith.care, a new online platform opens doors for access to quality child care providers.

Home Grown’s program succeeded in helping some home-based providers access PPP funds, but many were shut out of this public funding in a time of crisis.

We must make sure working families can find safe, affordable, accessible child care, and we need not look farther than our homes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, home-based child care (HBCC) has remained open, struggling to respond to increased child and family needs and new health, safety, and business challenges. New attention and funding are needed to ensure that home-based providers can fully participate in and support access to these critical services.

During her convention speech last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren, sitting in a now closed child care center, spoke about the critical role informal, home-based child care played in her story. She spoke about her Aunt Bee, who stepped in to take care of Warren’s children when she was juggling a full-time teaching job in Texas.