Child care providers that are open or attempting to re-open must bear the additional costs associated with cleaning, personal protective equipment (PPE), equipment and facilities modifications to meet public health guidelines, and finding and hiring substitutes when educators get sick. In order to safely maintain social distancing, and because of declines in demand given parental job loss and fear of infection, providers are also likely to be caring for fewer children. The resulting decline in revenue, combined with heightened operational costs, will make the industry increasingly unstable over the coming months. Without at least $9.6 billion per month in support from the federal government, the child care sector will not survive this crisis. Lawmakers must make this critical investment now to affirm what working families already know—that child care is essential. (author abstract)