The pandemic is set to shutter 40% of US childcare centers — and it could prove catastrophic for the careers of American women

Ted S. Warren/ AP

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many childcare centers and schools have closed their doors, forcing parents to teach and care for their kids while also juggling work.
Because of government-mandated closures and declining enrollment as parents fear disease exposure, some 60% of licensed childcare providers have closed, a survey from the Bipartisan Policy Center last month found, and many may have to close permanently.
A whopping 40% of childcare providers expect to close permanently unless they get additional public assistance soon, according to a recent National Association for the Education of Young Children survey of more than 5,000 childcare providers.
On Wednesday, The House passed two bills, the Child Care is Essential Act and the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act. They would provide a combined $100 billion in direct childcare funding over the next five years, including $50 billion in immediate pandemic relief.
It’s unclear if the Republican-led Senate will pass these bills. 
Multiple experts previously told Business Insider that one in three daycare providers could permanently close if signficant government aid is not allocated to the industry.
If childcare centers close, millions of women are likely to take up more unpaid labor in parenting or may even drop out of the labor force to raise their children, labor economists said.
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Tiffany and Tyler Woods are fortunate enough to be able to continue to work full time from their house while under self-quarantine in Chesterfield, Virginia. Tiffany, 30, is a literacy coach for the nearby Henrico County public-school system. Tyler, also 30, is a software engineer for Capital One. They have a 4-month-old son, Jax, who has recently discovered that he can scream.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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