Americans overwhelmingly view the cost of child care as a significant issue, and most support initiatives to offer free or low-cost day care and to require employers to provide paid family leave for parents of babies, according to a new poll. But they’re divided over how to solve the problem and what role the government should have in that solution. About three-quarters of U.S. adults see child care costs as a “major problem,” but only about half say helping working families pay for child care should be a “high priority” for the federal government, according to the June poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The coronavirus pandemic was a tipping point, revealing the child care industry’s vulnerabilities. The latest congressional package of tax cuts included tax credits and benefits for parents and businesses that assist employees with child care. Those changes have been praised by some, while others say millions of families at lower income levels wouldn’t get the full credit and would be affected by cuts in Medicaid and food stamps. The poll findings help explain the difficulty advocacy groups, elected officials and families navigate in trying to address the high costs of care: While most agree it’s a problem, there isn’t a simple fix. For instance, while government-funded child care is popular, that might not be everyone’s first choice. Many U.S. adults also think it’s better for children with two parents to be cared for full time by a parent. “Everyone kind of agrees that it’s a problem that we need to address,” said Sarah Rittling, executive director of the First Five Years Fund advocacy organization. “By having this issue out there, it really is driving a lot of bipartisan conversations.” Some consensus on free day care and paid family leave Most Americans support initiatives to offer child care or additional time for working families to spend with babies. About two-thirds support providing free or low-cost day care for children too young to attend public school, and a similar share favor requiring employers to provide paid family leave for new parents. Women are more likely than men to support the proposals, and Democrats are more likely than Republicans, but each is popular across the board. Mary Banek, a nurse anesthetist of Midlothian, Texas, said she helps take care of her 1-year-old grandson so he doesn’t need day care. When she had her kids, she left the workforce and got a license to start a day care from her home to watch 12 children, including her own, so she could generate income. Banek said she’s surprised at the high fees at day cares these days. “I don’t know what’s happened and why it is so expensive,” Banek said, adding maybe there’s a way to cap costs. She doesn’t feel the government should foot the cost. Many think parents should be caregivers While many solutions focus on families with working parents, there isn’t broad agreement this is the best arrangement for children. Just under half of U.S. adults, 45%, say children with two parents are better off when one parent doesn’t have a job and raises the children. Only about 1 in 10 say children are better off when both parents work full time, and about 4 in 10 say it doesn’t make a difference. Vice President JD Vance has […]