; Whereas the eligibility requirements to receive assistance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDGB), the primary source of Federal funding support, exclude most American children from Federal child care assistance; Whereas the CCDBG still serves only a fraction of families eligible for Federal support, with only 16 percent of eligible children receiving Federal child care assistance; Whereas these issues affect all families, but disproportionately affect women, many of whom are unable to enter the workforce due to the lack of affordable, high-quality child care for their children; Whereas the vast majority of the formal child care workforce is comprised of women, including 40 percent women of color, and women also do most of the unpaid child care work in families; Whereas increased pay for workers in the child care industry improves the quality of child care for young children and reflects the value of their highly skilled work; Whereas to recruit and retain a qualified child care workforce for young children, child care staff for young children should be paid as much as K–12 staff with equivalent education and experience; Whereas a full-time living wage is needed for all child care workers to meet their families’ essential needs, but the median child care center worker earns $10.72 per hour and more than half of child care workers receive Federal income support to support their families’ well-being; Whereas high-quality child care that works for everyone is essential for a strong economy and future, working families also need universal preschool, child nutrition programs that promote health and wellness, fair work schedules, living wages, paid family and medical leave, paid sick days, and credit in the Social Security system for time spent caregiving to support their well-being