A record investment of $24 billion in stimulus money Congress had set aside for child care during the pandemic has helped keep the industry afloat by propping up workers' salaries, boosting training programs and waiving family payment requirements. Now, with the last of that money expiring this month, an estimated 70,000 child-care programs -- or about one in three -- could close as a result of lost funding, causing 3.2 million children to lose care, according to a study by the Century Foundation, a liberal think tank.
That translates to $10.6 billion in lost U.S. economic activity, researchers found, adding new strain to a nation already struggling with a profound lack of child care.
"It isn't just individual children or parents that will be impacted, it's the economy as a whole," said Julie Kashen, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation. "When more than 3 million children lose care, that means all of those parents are going to have to figure out something else or reduce their work hours or leave their jobs altogether."
The expiration of federal funding comes at a precarious time for the U.S. economy, which is already slowing after a period of brisk post-pandemic growth. Job openings are at a two-year low, home sales are declining and more Americans are missing payments on car loans and credit cards. And although overall price growth is stabilizing, child-care costs have risen faster than inflation for five straight months. Experts say day-care fees, which are already...
A purported image showing the design of the new identity cards, featuring the Malaysian coat of arms, flag and a digital thumbprint, was shared on Facebook on April 14, 2026. "Said to be the new m...