Happy Friday. As summer starts to wind down, parents everywhere are struggling with questions around what the fall will look like. We know it’s tough. We also know that in order for parents to truly be able to “get back to work” we need the supports to do so, including childcare and early learning programs, and comprehensive paid leave. In addition we need to protect immigrants and those who’ve lost work due to the pandemic, too. Please scroll down to find urgent actions on all three issues below. And don’t forget to sign up for your free postcards encouraging other moms to vote in the fall! There’s a link for that too.

Please take good care of yourself and your family, and have a restful weekend. Here’s the list of Top #5Actions for the week =>

1. Congress must #SaveChildcare

BACKGROUND: During this time of crisis due to COVID 19, we must prioritize supporting families’ access to safe, high-quality, and affordable childcare. Research shows that at least $50 billion is necessary to stabilize the childcare sector. Recent analysis shows that at least $9.6 billion a month is needed to fully fund existing programs to pay all their staff, be prepared to reopen at the appropriate time and eliminate cost burdens for families whose providers are closed.

**ACTION: SIGN NOW to urge members of Congress to prioritize a minimum of $50 billion childcare stabilization funding in the upcoming coronavirus package!

2. Get Out the Vote in 2020 with FREE Postcards!

BACKGROUND: MomsRising is making it super easy (and totally FREE) for you to participate in our powerful Get-Out-The-Vote effort for the 2020 election! Sign up now to write 10 postcards to registered voters who haven't always voted on Election Day in the past. In August, we'll send you a packet of 10 pre-addressed, pre-stamped postcards along with some quick instructions. All you'll need to do is write a quick note of encouragement (we'll provide sample messages) and send them back to us with the prepaid return envelope provided so that we can store them until it's time to drop them in the mail before the November election.

**ACTION: Can you help us send voting reminder postcards to 1 million moms? Sign up now to get your voting reminder postcard packet!

3. We can’t safely go back to school without all workers having access to pandemic paid sick days and paid leave. Pass it on.

BACKGROUND: It’s a back to school season like none we have ever experienced before. Instead of reviewing school supply lists, we’re dealing with a lot of uncertainty and scrambling to figure out what to do if (!?!?) or when (!?!?) our schools and child care centers reopen. This year the supplies that we need the most are things like paid family/medical leave, paid sick days, and massive investments in child care - and they are in *very* short supply. Congress has a role in fixing this problem and they need to ACT NOW.

**ACTION: Tell your U.S. Senators that they must act quickly to support child care and also to extend and expand access to pandemic paid leave before school starts. Otherwise, there is no way schools, or anything else, will be able to safely reopen.

4. Call your Senators to say #ExtendUI

BACKGROUND: The clock is ticking! If Congress doesn’t take action in the coming days, millions of struggling families will lose their extended unemployment benefits that were passed in the CARES Act. That $600/week boost in benefits is crucial for unemployed workers making ends meet. We need you to call your Senators on Monday and tell them to extend unemployment insurance and protect the $600/week boost in benefits. Remember to make your call on Monday when your Senators are back in their office. In the meantime, you can also check out our #ExtendUI social media toolkit to post information on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (and don’t forget to tag your Senators!).

**ACTION: Text “ExtendUI” to 747464 and we’ll connect you directly to your Senator’s office.

5. Take action now! Tell Congress to include immigrants for COVID-19 relief!

BACKGROUND: Immigrants make up nearly 16% of healthcare workers in the U.S. and are putting their lives on the line to fight COVID! Effective public health responses require attention to all community members, as a pandemic response that excludes any members of our communities will weaken its effectiveness. None of us can be healthy if any one of us is denied access to testing, care, and economic relief.

**ACTION: We need to tell Congress to include immigrants in the next COVID-19 relief legislation! Click here to sign now.