US Politicians Push Child-Care Relief as 48% of Parents Report Overwhelming Stress
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
US Politicians Push Child-Care Relief as 48% of Parents Report Overwhelming Stress
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
Summary
New Mexico has become the first state to cover child care for all residents, while New York and San Francisco mayors pledged major free-child-care efforts and Democrats weigh making universal child care a 2028 platform plank.
Republicans are also shifting: last year’s domestic policy bill made 4 million more families eligible for a child-care tax credit and added incentives for employers that provide care.
48% of parents say stress is completely overwhelming on most days, versus 26% of other adults, after the U.S. surgeon general in 2024 labeled parental stress a public health crisis.
Child-care costs have more than tripled since 1990, and 7 in 10 Americans now say raising children is unaffordable, helping push family strain and fertility worries into mainstream politics.