How the Build Back Better Plan Reveals Gaps in Child Care

No matter what side of the aisle you are on, it's clear that America has child-care issues.  This includes early education, daycare and child transportation. The Covid pandemic exposed just how dire these needs are amongst the lower and middle classes, as more than half of working mothers exited the workforce. The jury's out on one reality--mother's bear the lion's share of caregiving responsibilities in our country. It's part of the reason employers--Buggy included--are feeling the squeeze in terms of employee shortage. If we're going to revive the economy and get woman back to work again, we'll need to make some changes.

More and more politicians are being pressured to act and assist Americans family in this arena. That's why one of the central tenants of the Build Back Better plan includes government-subsidized daycare and universal pre-k. Reading about the scope of the bill and the focus on easing the burden of childcare on families made us consider how aligned that mission is with Buggy's. While we are a for-profit company, as opposed to a governmental body, we are focused on care-giving solutions--starting with transportation, which we see as the most under-served market.

Just like our current child-care options are falling short as a country, the yellow school bus is not meeting the needs of so many busy families. Some of the gaps include: children who need therapy after school, live outside the normal bus route, or come from 2-household families, and need to shuttle between separate homes. When you think of how many child remain underserved by the old-school transportation options, it's mind-boggling. At Buggy, we see a massive opportunity to shift towards sustainable and flexible school transportation. We are starting with a higher-end market, since it's the safest bet at this point in terms of growth, but eventually we hope to expand to accommodate a range of socioeconomic levels. We even hope one day to offer Buggy scholarships,  so that families who cannot afford us can still benefit from the convenience of our service.

Onwards,

The Buggy Team

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