Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) released his plan to give free, full-day child care for every child beginning at infancy and free preschool education to all children starting at age three at a cost of $1.5 trillion over the next ten years.
The federally funded programs would be administered by states and tribes in partnership with local public school systems, and the money would also theoretically pay for workers who run the programs and infrastructure costs.
“Childcare must be guaranteed for every child regardless of their parents’ income, just like K-12 education,” Sanders said in a statement. “We know that the first four years of a child’s life are the most important years of human development, so it is unconscionable that in the wealthiest country in the world, we do not properly invest in early childhood education.”
“As president, we will guarantee free, universal childcare and pre-kindergarten to every child in America to help level the playing field, create new and good jobs, and enable parents [to] more easily balance the demands of work and home,” Sanders said.
Politico reported it is aimed at helping low-income people who Sanders is courting for votes:
Iran Attempts to Take Credit for Downing US Aircraft, Killing Airmen, Then Fakes Evidence in Profoundly Slipshod Way
Nepo-Baby Nazi-Tattooed Dem Senate Candidate Decries ‘Anti-Semitism,’ Claims ‘Anti-Trans’ Agenda Cooked Up By ‘Billionaires’
Legal Group Files Challenge to Virginia Abortion Ballot Push
Op-Ed: This Video from the Church of England Will Make You Proud of Your Christian Heritage
Iran faces financial death blow because of war
Virginia Democrats dig in on DHS funding line despite ISIS-linked shooting at ODU, illegal immigrant murder
Red States Offer Low Housing Prices as Yet Another Draw for Families
Ex-Dem senator admits to affair with former bodyguard in explosive court filing: ‘Romantic and Intimate’
The Economist Blasted with Flurry of Posts for Bemoaning Death of Murderous Ayatollah
Dems continue to reject GOP efforts to fund ICE in DHS fight despite terror concerns: ‘That’s on them’
Trump’s demand for colleges nationwide to fork over race data faces legal hurdle
State Department cuts fee to renounce US citizenship by 80% to $450
Teens accused of plotting twisted ‘blood ritual’ school killing giggle in cruiser about glam shot
Critical swing state candidates reveal where they stand on DHS funding after suspected terror attacks
Leftists Tell Conservative Students To Kill Themselves, Use Kirk Assassination Images To Threaten Event
The democratic socialist is trying to solve a costly dilemma faced by households with young children and working parents — and a persistent problem for poor families.
About 34 percent of children with college-educated parents attended full-day preschool programs in 2017, according to a recent study from the Child Trends advocacy group cited by Sanders’ campaign. By contrast, only 18 percent of children whose parents had less than a high school degree attended full-day preschool.
The plan, according to the campaign, would provide at least 10 hours of daily child care for infants and children who are up to 3 years old. The federal government would set minimum worker wages and mandate “low child-to-adult ratios and small group sizes” for services. When it comes to pre-K, Sanders would guarantee access to “full-day, full-week” programs for children starting at age 3. The federal government would pay for that too, but pre-K programs would be “locally administered.”
Politico reported that at least three other Democrats running for the 2020 presidential nomination are in favor of the same kind of entitlements — Joe Biden (D) says he will work with states to get universal preschool; Pete Buttigieg (D) wants to spend $700 billion over the next ten years for “universal, affordable full-day” child care; and Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) plan would tax millionaires to fund free child care for low-income children and make it “affordable” care for other families.
Story cited here.
