In a recent op-ed in The Hill, several retired US generals make the novel argument that the nation’s lack of strong, universal childcare is not only a persistent problem for working parents, but represents a national security threat and that lawmakers must continue to address this as part of the legislative wrangling set to go into overdrive as Congress returns from summer vacation
Starting from their experience with how the military provides childcare assistance to personnel, they argue that expanded access to civilian childcare is essential to safeguard the economic well-being of the nation. Citing a recent study by ReadyNation, a business group, they argue that the cost to the nation in lost wages and productivity due to inadequate childcare are rising to crisis proportions.
As we’ve noted over the last 20 months, the lack of childcare access has only been exacerbated by the global pandemic as remote workers do double duty and those who can’t work from home make tough decisions about whether to prioritize their families’ medical safety or paying rent and feeding children. The result has been hundreds of thousands of parents, in the US and millions more globally, mostly women, leaving the workforce, and the generals fear this will have knock-on effects as children grow up.
