Editor:
Child care for families in West Virginia today is as expensive as college tuition. These increasing costs, paired with a shortage of available licensed child care, are alarming and unacceptable, especially considering the fact that 65 percent of mothers in West Virginia work outside of the home to support their families.
A lack of available child care forces parents to choose between either leaving the workforce, which takes a significant toll on our state’s economy, and finding unlicensed care, which has the potential to negatively impact a child’s learning development. Currently, in West Virginia alone, more than 64 percent of all residents live in areas without enough licensed child care providers. Something has to be done to change this.
That’s why Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., deserves recognition and praise for recently becoming a co-sponsor of the Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act. According to the non-profit organization Save the Children Action Network, this bill, which enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress, will help to bring parents one step closer to not having to choose between work and child care. This important act would help more children thrive in child care environments that provide a strong foundation for their successful futures while boosting our economy.
I thank Senator Capito for her keen commitment to bipartisan solutions, and for showing strong support for West Virginia’s working families and children.
Octavia Cordon, Charleston