Raising Young Kids in America Has Become Hell, and the Government Should Finally Acknowledge That

Today, U.S. spending on early childhood education and childcare as a percent of GDP is among the lowest in OECD countries. It is one of only two that does not cover health care costs, and we are the only high-wealth country without any type of guaranteed paid leave.

During the early and middle part of the twentieth century, the United States realized that seniors were a group of people uniquely vulnerable to economic dislocation, who needed specialized support programs to ensure their economic security. Beginning on a small scale with the Civil War Pension program, and then starting in earnest with the creation of Social Security during the Great Depression, and expanded later through other programs such as Medicare, the federal government has built a full apparatus focused on helping this cohort. Today, the elderly have the lowest poverty rate thanks to comprehensive health care and cash assistance.

It’s time to bring the same focused, and far more robust, approach to families with young children. A paradigm shift towards a comprehensive policy agenda that sees families with young children as a distinct group with unique needs grounded in access to care supports—one that we as a society share a collective responsibility to meet—is necessary to ensure the health of families and the economy.   

Read the full article here.