U.S. Wakes Up to Child-Care Crisis Plaguing Economic Recovery

When the pandemic broke out, significant help arrived quickly for working parents in many rich countries, with one notable exception: the United States.

Now, nearly a year later, President Joe Biden aims to address what has become one of the most daunting obstacles to a full economic recovery, with policy proposals such as more money for child care and families.

“If people don’t have care, then they can’t get to work,” said Heather Boushey, a member of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, in an interview. Bigger changes to the system “are urgent,” she said, to help families during the ...