The Child Care Collapse: Imagining Washington’s “Day Zero”
In the early 1990s, I was part of Seattle’s Worthy Wage Movement for child care providers, fighting a battle that felt urgent, if not quite apocalyptic. Back then, the Worthy Wage Campaign staged one-day closures across 30 states, calling for “Rights, Raises, and Respect” for those who keep the foundation of society intact. Each year, Kids Co. and other Seattle centers closed to join a march—a river of voices demanding lawmakers recognize child care as the public good that holds our society together. But decades later, the crisis endures. We remain on the brink, held up by underpaid staff and parents stretched to their limits. Imagine, then, a future “Day Zero”—a day where every child care center in Washington State permanently closes its doors.
Families Left Behind
On Day Zero, families would be the first to feel the shockwave. Thousands of parents would suddenly have no place to bring their children, forcing many to leave their jobs or drastically reduce their work hours. For countless families, this would mean the loss of stability and income. Mothers, often the primary caregivers, would be hit hardest, finding themselves unable to participate fully in the workforce. This wouldn’t be just a blow to individuals—it would unravel the social fabric that relies on accessible child care as a foundation.
Children would lose more than a place to spend the day; they’d lose environments rich in social, emotional, and cognitive growth. For lower-income families, where early education provides critical educational support, the closure of child care centers would feel like losing a lifeline. Without this support, the achievement gap would widen, and a generation of young minds would find themselves stranded, denied the resources that foster opportunity and growth.
Social Services Buckling Under Pressure
As families lose access to affordable child care, they would increasingly turn to already strained social services for support. Programs like TANF and food assistance would face intense new pressures, overwhelmed by those seeking help to fill the gaps left by the child care collapse. For children missing out on early education, the repercussions would likely continue down the line, with increased needs for remedial and developmental support—resources that are already spread thin.
The Economic Aftershocks
The economic impact would be swift and severe. Washington’s workforce would face a sudden and sharp decline as thousands of parents disappear from the job market. The productivity losses would cascade, costing the state billions. Nationally, the crisis could easily surpass the current $122 billion in lost earnings and productivity attributed to child care instability. With Day Zero, Washington’s economy would feel the strain of absent workers across sectors, as families struggle to juggle child care with their livelihoods.
For businesses, especially those already contending with labor shortages, the impact would be brutal. Reduced staffing would lead to missed deadlines, stalled projects, and lost income as industries fail to function at capacity. Without child care, the backbone of the economy begins to erode, destabilizing companies large and small, and shaking the foundations of our society. The wheels of commerce would grind to a halt as child care workers, too, disappear, leaving critical roles unfilled across the state.
The Price of Day Zero
The true cost of Day Zero would be measured in more than dollars lost; it would represent the dismantling of the structure that holds society together. Child care isn’t just a convenience for families; it’s the bedrock that supports the workforce, the economy, and the future of every community. On Day Zero, the absence of child care would reveal that it’s not just a personal need but a public good with profound, systemic impacts.
Our society stands on the edge, facing a choice to recognize child care for the critical infrastructure it is or risk a future where the supports we take for granted have fallen away, leaving us all to navigate a fractured world. Day Zero doesn’t have to become our reality, but without meaningful investment and reform, the countdown continues. We’re out of time.
Call to Action: Invest in Child Care for a Stronger Washington
As we teeter on the brink of Day Zero, we face a choice: invest in a resilient child care system that supports families, nurtures children, and fuels our economy, or risk watching the very foundation of our society crumble. This isn’t just a child care issue—it’s a workforce issue, an economic stability issue, and a public good that impacts every corner of our community.
We need lawmakers, businesses, and citizens to come together to champion a fully funded, equitable child care system that provides fair wages for providers and affordable access for families. Child care is the foundation that allows all other work to happen, and we must act now to secure it.
Reach out to your representatives, support local initiatives for child care funding, and share this message. Together, we can prevent a Day Zero from ever becoming our reality. Our families, our economy, and our future depend on it.
Resources:
Committee for Economic Development
The Economic Role of Paid Child Care in the U.S. – A Report Series
Action Steps for Business Leaders
Council for a Strong America/Ready Nation
Business Leaders Call on Congress to Fund Programs That Can Help End the Child Care Crisis
The Skills Needed for Successful Employees Today and in the Future Develop in Early Childhood
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
Working for Worthy Wages: A Lived History of the Child Care Compensation Movement, 1970-2002
Other Food for Thought
The Child Care Crisis in Washington State – Explaining the Problem and Offering Solutions
