Child care and early learning is essential for many families. Yet due to historic underinvestment, the high costs of providing care, and parents’ concerns about their children’s health, the already fragile child care sector was hit particularly hard during the pandemic. Still missing a net 54,000 jobs since February 2020, the child care sector is also experiencing a more sluggish recovery than many other industries. Low wages have made it extremely challenging to bring workers back to the child care and early learning field—and made it difficult for those who have remained in or returned to the field to support themselves and their own families. This underpaid sector largely consists of women—including many women of color, who typically receive even lower wages than other workers in the field.