Amanda BeckerVerified account

Listening to a fascinating and scary @amprog panel on the "workforce behind the workforce" and the #ChildCare crisis intensified by the coronavirus pandemic.

One teacher from Colorado said the pandemic has "really intensified" the issues already facing the industry. She has seen teachers turn down raises in order to still qualify for public assistance. They can't afford to enroll in health insurance but make too much for Medicaid.

Another #childcare provider in North Carolina says 60% of centers are still closed and may not reopen. Before the pandemic there were 14,000 in child care facilities. They were at capacity in a 13-county region.

"How do you go to a family who has maybe lost their own jobs and may be struggling" to ask for tuition to save their spots to stay open? Catherine Lieberman from NC asks. #ChildCareIsEssential