December 9, 2020
No items found.

Childcare Costs Skyrocket in 2020

Child care has not been affordable for a long time now, especially not for poor and working class parents, but with the pandemic forcing the closure of schools and childcare facilities across the country, costs have shot up even more as parents scramble to figure out what to do with their children as they try to balance work and family. A new article in The Lily, provides an in-depth look into the lengths some parents are going to replace the childcare services that have evaporated over the last eight months.

For better-off parents, such as the Yaegers who are the example family in the article, costs per month were already nearing $2,000. But with schools closed, her two eldest children, previously in public school, were now part of a learning pod, a major cost increase necessitating them to dip into their savings, an more and more common measure for people across the country facing unemployment while dealing with housing, medical, and care costs. 

The Yaegers, who resisted spending more for as long as possible, were at least lucky enough to have savings into which they could dip and two jobs they could do remotely. For many Americans, a savings account is little more than a dream, and the closure of schools and free or low-cost childcare centers has been devastating, especially for parents who cannot work remotely. This stings, especially as wealthier Americans have turned to private schools, personal tutors, and small care groups, which send costs skyrocketing. 

Making matters worse, the child care industry, much like many other social services has experienced increased privatization while the federal government has done little to expand or even consider universal childcare for decades, as Claire Cain Miller pointed out last year. Caroline Kitchener, the author of The Lily piece, notes, the US remains a major outlier when it comes to child care costs. Childcare costs the typical family one-third of its income, $9,589 per year for a child under four. In bigger cities it can be almost triple that.

As we’ve pointed out, even before the pandemic, there has never been a better time to fight, forcefully, for universal child care in the U.S. 


white line

The Berke-Weiss Law Weekly Roundup: While the Outlook Darkens, We Celebrate Some Small Victories

July 31, 2020
No items found.
The clock has essentially wound down on extending assistance for the 30+ million Americans currently on the unemployment rolls. White House officials and Congressional Democrats remain miles apart, with the latter rejecting a temporary extension of the benefits. There are also huge question marks over issues we focus on, particularly child care and employment law, both of which were in the news this week and are the subject of several of the stories we feature

With the HEALS Act the Fight over Pandemic Lawsuits Takes Center Stage

July 30, 2020
No items found.
Earlier this week, Senate GOP leadership introduced their $1 trillion opening response to the $3 trillion Congressional HEROES Act, originally proposed in May. As we have noted, the signal demand coming from Mitch McConnell’s office is liability protection (the “L” in HEALS) for businesses and health care organizations. Translated, McConnell wants to prevent workers from suing employers if they contract coronavirus at work. And the GOP appears firm that without consensus on this issue, there will be no new stimulus.

The Week in FFCRA Cases Includes a Class Action Suit against the USDA

July 24, 2020
Leave
Four cases came across the wire this week and we have chosen to highlight them all. One case is the first class action lawsuit filed under the FFCRA and concerns potentially millions of people seeking SNAP aid. The three other suits that were filed this week follow a familiar line for anyone who has been reading our updates. People are getting sick or have family members getting sick and are then denied their right to paid leave and are terminated.

Get In Touch

Knowing where to turn in legal matters can make a big difference. Contact our employment lawyers to determine if we can help you.