Denver Post – We Underfund Child Care

David Merage, founder of the David & Laura Merage Foundation, and Sue Renner, Vice President of Philanthropy at the David & Laura Merage Foundation, completed an opinion article for the Denver Post stating how we underfund child care at our own peril, and that of the economy as well.

“Childcare is an essential component to our national economic recovery, yet it is an industry that is in critically short supply and the cost to deliver quality services exceeds parents’ ability to pay. Congress has allocated only $3.5 billion to the childcare industry as part of the CARES Act pandemic response while it has granted tens of billions to other industries deemed “essential.”

An additional $50 billion in funding for childcare is stalled in Congress. It is imperative for Colorado’s congressional delegation to focus on childcare costs and bring relief to working families.

David Merage, Business Owner & Philanthropist

“In most states, including Colorado, annual childcare exceeds the cost of a college tuition, an average of $10,000 per child, and in some parts of the country parents pay $25,000 per year for their infant’s care. On top of this, 50% of families have difficulty securing a program of their choice or a spot for their child.”