America had universal childcare during WWII. It’s time to do it again

During World War II, the federal government passed the first and only universal childcare program in American history. To support the war effort, the United States passed the Defense Housing and Community Facilities and Services Act of 1940, also known as the Lanham Act. It allowed the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to fund public works—like the construction of homes, schools, and water and sewage treatment centers—to help those in service of the war.

Notably, the Lanham Act was also used to build and operate affordable daycare centers for the children of mothers working wartime jobs. An estimated 550,000 to 600,000 children received care through these facilities, which were open to all families with parents working to support the war.

Across just about all measures, universal child care was beneficial for children, parents and the country as a whole. So, what can we learn from the past—and how could we institute universal child care again?

In 1943, childcare cost families $0.50 per child each day. Studies at the time found that the mothers and children who utilized the facilities enjoyed them. A more recent study found that the children who benefited from these centers had higher graduation, higher employment rates and higher overall annual earnings during their lives.

In the face of an unprecedented global war and crisis, the federal government made an unprecedented investment in childcare, which not only enabled more women to join the workforce, but also benefited children for decades.

A successful national childcare program existed once before. Why not again?

The COVID-19 pandemic caused both an unprecedented global medical crisis and caused disproportionate job losses for women, particularly women of color. Early on in the pandemic, women in the United States lost a net of 5.4 million jobs—nearly one million more than men. It took more than two years for women to regain those net job losses, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics gathered by the National Women’s Law Center.

Job losses were concentrated in industries that disproportionately employ women, like leisure and hospitality. As schools moved to virtual learning and daycares temporarily—and in some cases, permanently—shut their doors, hundreds of thousands of women were forced out of their jobs to care for their children. One study estimates about 700,000 parents left the workforce because of school and daycare closures alone.

This case study clearly shows that if we want women in the workforce, families lifted out of poverty and access to quality education for all children, we need an unprecedented commitment to supporting American families.

What is the path to universal childcare in the United States?

During the height of the pandemic, President Biden proposed the Build Back Better plan, an economic recovery plan that would spend over $7 trillion in investments in infrastructure, housing, education, healthcare and more.

This also provided a framework for significant investments in women and children—including calling for the creation of a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program, so parents could take maternity leave or time off to care for a sick family member and not worry about losing their job. It would have created access to high-quality, affordable childcare for low- and middle-income families, and offer free pre-school to all three- and four-year-olds. It would have made the Child Tax Credit, which sent monthly payments to qualifying families, permanent. It would have expanded the free and reduced-price meal program to more students and offer vouchers to help eligible families afford food during the summer months.

The ambitious Build Back Better plan was met with resistance, primarily from across the aisle. After months of negotiations, a dramatically trimmed-down plan known as the Inflation Reduction Act was passed in August 2022. This plan did not include funding for universal childcare or preschool. But while this was a setback, it’s good to know that the conversation is on the table—especially because we know that many mothers want these proposals to pass.

Our 2022 State of Motherhood survey found that affordable and accessible childcare is the biggest public policy issue that mothers support. This follows our 2021 State of Motherhood survey, which found 92% of mothers support legislative action to increase support for childcare and/or parental leave. Millennial mothers also support free, universal pre-k (74%), refundable tax credits to help pay for childcare (75%) and improved pay/benefits for childcare workers (72%). These aren’t partisan issues—they affect everyone.

[Childcare] is a huge portion of my wages, like almost half of my monthly take-home pay.

Molly D.

We know that the pandemic has forced women from the workforce and daycares to close. We also know that the high cost of childcare is also pricing women out of work. Our 2022 survey found that 58% of mothers have considered leaving the workforce because of the cost of childcare. This is especially true of Hispanic moms (63%) and Black moms (61%).

Modern mothers need help. This is a sentiment that has grown in strength since we began conducting the State of Motherhood survey: In 2018, 49% of millennial and Gen Z moms surveyed felt better policies around paid leave would help them feel supported. In 2022, 77% of moms feel that way.

How can we show mothers that we support them? How can universal childcare help young families thrive?

With unprecedented investments in childcare, housing and education. With the creation of programs that will see more women pursuing higher education and getting back into the workforce. With the creation of a federal paid family leave program, to help new mothers thrive in the days and weeks after they welcome a new baby.

The fact is that the pandemic didn’t create the childcare and employment crisis; it exacerbated them. But that doesn’t mean we have to simply endure them. Eighty years ago, it took a world war for America to invest in a national childcare program. The Lanham Act was not perfect. It was always meant to be temporary—to help support an American victory in World War II. When the war ended and male military members returned home, the FWA stopped funding childcare centers. The decision was met with protests, marches, and hundreds of letters, wires, postcards and petitions written by women who wanted to continue to work and needed affordable childcare to do so. Still, the program closed.

Between the pandemic, waiting lists at daycares and no family nearby, mapping out childcare weighs on my shoulders.

Hayli C.

It also didn’t serve everyone. Not only was segregation still practiced in many parts of America during World War II, but the nation was also incarcerating Japanese American families in internment camps. The childcare centers, though revolutionary, still largely helped only white families.

We have an opportunity now to help American families. All American families. We need legislation to help lift children out of poverty and increase access to education. We need programs that will help parents further their education and get back into the workplace. We need paid family leave to help support families during major life milestones, like births and deaths.

To combat the childcare, employment and housing crises brewing in America, we need comprehensive support from our federal government. We did it once before. It’s time to do it again.

A version of this post was originally published on July 21, 2021. It has been updated.