Since January 2021, 95 preschools in King County have permanently shut their doors. In-home and institutional child care providers struggle to receive equitable support from the State but remain determined to prioritize and educate children.

by Samira George

(This article originally appeared on RealChange and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

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Long before the global pandemic, the United States had woefully underinvested in the child care industry. The government directs only a small percent of funding toward child care compared with the whole U.S. education system, according to Ryan Pricco, the director of Policy & Advocacy at Tacoma-based nonprofit Child Care Aware Washington.

“Child care educators themselves make less money than parking lot attendants and pet groomers. They rank in the third percentile of all occupational wages in Washington,” Pricco said.

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