The U.S. child-care system fails to adequately serve many families due to insufficient supply and high cost, holding back parents’ ability to contribute to the economy, according to a new report from the U.S. Treasury Department.
One reason the current child-care system is “unworkable” is because parents of young children are asked to pay for care when they can least afford it -- they are often earlier in their careers and still paying major expenses like mortgages and student loans, the report said. Inadequate access to child care may play a role in why women’s labor force participation has stayed ...