To the editor:

As a small business owner running a pediatric occupational therapy institute in Rhode Island, I know that the struggle to find affordable, convenient child care is a daily reality for many working families. This crisis, deepened by soaring costs and limited availability, forces parents and caregivers into making sometimes desperate choices: from settling for subpar, unreliable care to cutting back hours or even leaving the workforce.   

For care providers, low Medicaid reimbursement rates in Rhode Island leads to difficulty finding qualified employees for child care work. On top of that, preschool services in Rhode Island are limited due to state regulations and funding issues.

Insurance is denying our children the access to medically necessary service that’s prescribed to them. Additionally, parents can’t get a babysitter or attend preschools, and the special education preschools are only two hours a day in Rhode Island.

Nearly 80 percent of my fellow small business owners recently surveyed by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices said they support policy makers taking action to increase federal funding for programs helping families access affordable child care. Seventy percent voiced support for increasing tax credits to businesses who locate or provide child care for their workers. 

Let’s make quality child care more accessible by expanding funding for child care programs and providing robust support to providers. Let’s improve employer tax incentives to support child care solutions. Let’s examine all the ways we can alleviate the burden on parents and caregivers and help them to stay in the workforce. 

It’s time to invest in our children, support working parents and caregivers, and strengthen our economy. 

Sarah McNeill

46 Kaitlin Place

Portsmouth

Sara McNeill is founder of McNeill Children’s Institute.