An affordable and accessible child care industry requires a bolder public commitment of resources. One concrete response that policymakers can make now to stabilize the system as financing is restructured for long-term sustainability is to create a state floor in the reimbursement rate for providers who serve children in need. Setting a state floor in child care assistance would ensure that child care programs, regardless of their location, would receive more equitable public funding to provide quality care for children. This action would strengthen the child care system, supporting programs in remaining open in the economic aftermath of the pandemic and allowing children and families greater access to quality care. (author abstract)