Lee’s Bipartisan Legislation Aims to Expand Access to Affordable Child Care for Nevada Families
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LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) joined child care providers and southern Nevada families at Durango Hills YMCA to highlight her Small Business Child Care Investment Act, bipartisan legislation to expand access to affordable child care options and support non-profit child care providers.
“It is no secret how ridiculously expensive child care is in Nevada. Three out of four kids in our state do not have access to a licensed child care provider – that's unacceptable,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “Republicans and Democrats in Congress and throughout the country agree that families should not have to choose between a full-time job and being able to take care of your kids. My bipartisan Small Business Child Care Investment Act will help make child care more affordable and help child care providers grow their businesses, hire more employees, and invest back into their local economies.”
“Unlike for-profit providers that are able to tap into those SBA low interest loans to alleviate their waitlist by building more spots, nonprofits like the Y have to tap into high interest and long-term debt in order to do the same while at the same time trying to make sure child care stays affordable. It’s a catch-22, and one that’s not a tenable approach. This bill is a leap in the right direction of bringing more high quality, affordable child care to one of the worst child care desert states in the country,” said Jordan Sommaggio, YMCA of Southern Nevada President and CEO. “It will support families like Sara’s who, like most families, needs child care to work. Forty-seven percent of employers cite Nevada’s child care desert as a root cause for their inability to recruit and retain staff.”
“I used to get child care assistance during COVID because I am an essential worker. After the program ended, I was without child care and had to actually take my child to work with me. I could no longer afford the $425.00 per week per child,” said Sara Smith, a working Nevada mother. “I have a job and do not qualify for food stamps or Medicaid; however, I am struggling to keep up with the high cost for food and rent. If [my child] was not at [the YMCA’s] program I would have to quit my job and go on complete welfare. We need affordable child care and housing for the middle class.”
Congresswoman Lee’s legislation would address the child care affordability crisis by allowing non-profit child care centers like the YMCA to access the same types of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans available to for-profit businesses. This would help child care providers expand their businesses to meet demand and increase access to affordable, high-quality child care for southern Nevada families.
In Nevada, the average annual price of full-time, center-based child care is over $10,000-12,000 for infants, toddlers, and 4-year-olds. Additionally, 70% of American parents say raising children is too expensive, and finances are the main reason families limit the number of children they have. In Nevada, 72% of people live in a child care desert where there are either no child care providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care slots.
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