Child Care: An essential service for disaster recovery

When a major disaster strikes in the United States, the President issues a Presidential Disaster Declaration releasing federal disaster relief funds for the "critical services" necessary to restore local communities. One community service not considered eligible for federal relief funds is childcare. But childcare is a necessary condition for getting communities back to normal routines and parents back to work. Redefining childcare as a critical service is not only good for the educational development of young children but makes it possible for the parents of young children to resume their place in the workforce.

Extensive research has documented that the provision of child care services is essential to the economic health and vitality of a community. In disaster situations, when the economic life of local communities virtually grinds to a halt, workers with young children cannot resume their jobs unless there is safe, secure child care for their children. This is when the business community comes to realize that child care is a critical service for workers. Without the timely reintroduction of child care services, communities struggling to recover in the aftermath of a major disaster face a roadblock: Jump-starting local economies requires a reliable workforce and workers need safe, secure child care before they can get back to work.