NWPC Supports Access to Affordable, Quality, Dependent Care

Facts:

America’s children, teens, and dependent adults lack consistent, meaningful access to trained, affordable, community-based opportunities for daycare, after-school programs, respite care, and family support services.

How NWPC Acts:

NWPC recognizes that caring for dependent children and adults is a societal as well as a family responsibility.

NWPC members and the political candidates they support individually and collectively in their personal, professional and social lives, take positive steps to support measures that ensure availability of accessible, quality child and dependent care which is responsive to the diverse needs of those families.

NWPC supports a state administrative structure which provides for optimum dependent care policies, programs and services.

NWPC recognizes women and men who support and further meaningful improvements in accessible and affordable dependent care.

How You Can Act:

Affordable, quality dependent care involves enactment of appropriate policies, consistent caring administration, ongoing training, adequate funding and rigorous follow-up.

Let your local, state and national representatives know that your priorities are:

• Quality care which is responsive to the needs of the local community.
• A range of public and private programs which are effectively coordinated for maximum efficiency.
• Reduction in bureaucratic obstacles to expansion of services while maintaining oversight (e.g., zoning, funding, licensing).
• Support for living wage and health care benefits for dependent care providers.
• Subsidies and low interest loans for facilities which provide child or dependent care.
• Dissemination of updated information on child/dependent care resources to public service and referral agencies to better serve clients (print media and the internet).
• Provision of appropriate tax breaks to caregivers along with progressive tax credits to businesses which offer these benefits and incentives to major employers and governmental agencies to provide on-site or centralized childcare and after-school care as a family benefit.
• Inclusion of dependent care programs in community plans and general plans.
• Support of supplemental funding sources such as community grants and scholarships to train and compensate caregivers.