Biden Administration Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign That Includes Free Child Care
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On June 2, President Joe Biden announced the "National Month of Action," an initiative that strives to have 70 percent of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.
The campaign includes mobilization efforts and tempting vaccine incentives, like free beer from Anheuser-Busch, free plane tickets from United Airlines, and tickets to the Super Bowl. And here's some great news for parents: As part of the initiative, four child care providers—KinderCare, Learning Care Group, YMCA, and Bright Horizons—are offering free child care to adults receiving or recovering from a COVID-19 vaccine until July 4, 2021.
"Throughout the month, national organizations, local government leaders, community-based and faith-based partners, businesses, employers, social media influencers, celebrities, athletes, colleges, young people, and thousands of volunteers across the nation will work together to get their communities vaccinated," according to a White House fact sheet.
As of now, 63 percent of adults have received a COVID-19 vaccine, including 73 percent of adults ages 40 and up, according the Biden administration. Coronavirus cases and deaths have decreased as a result. In fact, the White House says that cases are down over 90 percent and deaths declined over 85 percent since January 20.
Despite these promising statistics, however, millions of Americans are still vulnerable to a disease that has killed nearly 600,000 people in this country. "The reality is if you're not vaccinated, you're still at risk," says Marcella Nunez-Smith, M.D., a co-chair of President Biden's COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. "The vaccines are really, really effective. They work incredibly well. They keep people out of the hospital, and keep them from dying and getting seriously ill."
If the National Month of Action campaign succeeds in getting 70 percent of American adults vaccinated, our country will be one step closer to normalcy. Keep reading to learn more about the National Month of Action and how it could benefit your family.
Alleviating the Burden of Child Care
As part of the National Month of Action, four large child care providers are offering free child care to parents and caregivers getting vaccinated or recovering from COVID-19 vaccine side effects. The incentive lasts until July 4. Here are the details:
Select locations of KinderCare and Learning Care Group will offer free drop-in appointments for adults receiving or recovering from vaccination.
More than 500 YMCA locations will offer drop-in care if a parent or caregiver has a vaccine appointment.
Bright Horizons is providing no-cost child care “to support the vaccination of over 10 million workers employed at participating organizations,” says the White House.
These measures are meant to help parents who haven't gotten vaccinated due to lack of child care options. "We're grateful for all of these partnerships," says Dr. Nunez-Smith. "It's about all of these organizations stepping up to think about what they can do to help get our country vaccinated."
Other Initiatives in the COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign
Aside from free child care, the National Month of Action offers other incentives, ranging from extended pharmacy hours to free ride share services. It also focuses on education and mobilization efforts. Here are some of the highlights.
Business Incentives: Thousands of companies nationwide have joined forces with the Biden administration to encourage vaccinations for employees and customers. These companies include Uber and Lyft, Acme, Bumble, CVS, Door Dash, Krispy Kreme, Kroger, Major League Baseball (MLB), Microsoft, NASCAR, Safeway, Spotify, United Airlines, and more. Read more about the incentives here, and learn how you can get free cruises, tickets to Super Bowl LVI, donuts, beer, and more!
Extended Pharmacy Hours. Pharmacy chains like CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and Albertsons will extend their hours to cater to those with inflexible work schedules. More specifically, they'll stay open for 24 hours on Fridays in June, says Dr. Nunez-Smith.
Mobilization Events: Accurate and trustworthy information is key to mobilizing people to get vaccinated. That's why the government is hoping to connect citizens with resources like Vaccines.gov, text 4-3-8-8-2-9, and the National COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline (1-800-232-0233). Organizations are also planning events to mobilize Americans—and more than 1,000 are planned for the first weekend in June alone.
Vaccination Tour: Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the "We Can Do This" National Vaccination Tour, which will inform Americans about the COVID-19 shots and encourage vaccination.
Shots at the Shop: Through this initiative, Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons will support vaccine mobilization through outreach and education efforts.
College Challenge: According to the White House, colleges and universities that want to "pledge and commit to taking action" can join this challenge at WhiteHouse.gov/COVIDCollegeChallenge. As a result, the Biden administration will provide vaccination resources and educational materials. More than 200 colleges in 43 states have committed already.
Media Coverage: It's true that false news abounds about the COVID-19 vaccines. That's why The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) will have some of its 7,000+ TV and radio stations air educational segments with medical professionals and trusted experts.
The Bottom Line
Vaccinations are key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully, the National Month of Action will help the Biden administration reach its goal of getting 70 percent of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4. You can read more about the campaign here.
