JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN—Bryan Steil is working to ensure children and parents are supported during the coronavirus crisis and to help parents reenter the workforce. Steil urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to invest in and prioritize child care.

“A key step to getting folks back to work is ensuring child care is available. I have heard from families across Southeast Wisconsin who are concerned about child care facilities. Many parents rely on child care providers. Child care is essential so parents of young children can return to work. I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure we make targeted investments to help families and allow parents to return to work,” said Steil.

In part, Steil urges: “As our country moves towards economic recovery, no industry will be able to recover if a large portion of the workforce is unable to access the child care that they rely on to go to work…we are concerned that without additional stabilization measures, providers will not be able to reopen or remain open through the coming months. Child care providers are struggling to manage increased costs due to needed health and safety changes including enhanced cleaning, procuring Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and reduced ratios to ensure appropriate social distancing.”

You can read the full letter here.

On background:

Steil is a cosponsor of the Protect our Children from COVID-19 Act, a bill requiring the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to study the transmission of coronavirus in children in order to provide localities and states with information to reopen schools in the fall.

Additionally, Steil has led efforts in Congress to ensure parents and students have access to their own education savings to cover the costs incurred while learning from home.

In 2019, Steil co-introduced the Advancing Support for Working Families Act, a bill giving parents the option of advancing up to $5,000 from their Child Tax Credit upon the birth or adoption of a child.

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