How free childcare started winning US elections: ‘Overnight, people realized how essential it was’
Summary
Childcare has become a major political issue in the United States, as the rising cost and shortage of care affect many families, not just the poor. Several recent political candidates have made free or affordable childcare a key part of their campaigns, and New Mexico is now the first state to offer free childcare for all children.Key Facts
- Francesca Hong is running for governor in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary, promoting government-funded childcare.
- For decades, US childcare policy mainly helped low-income families, with limited broader government support.
- Childcare costs have risen so much that they now exceed college tuition in many cases.
- After the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for affordable childcare became a problem for the middle class.
- New Mexico is the first state to provide free childcare to all families as of March 2024.
- Candidates like Zohran Mamdani in New York and others in Virginia and New Jersey have campaigned on universal childcare.
- Long-term advocacy efforts and recent crises have brought childcare to the forefront of US political discussions.
- The US almost created a national childcare system in the 1970s, but it was blocked by President Nixon’s veto.
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