“Children Learning, Parents Earning, Communities Growing"Federal & Child Care and Development Fund State PlanTopics on this page (click to be directed):
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CCDBG Resources and Updates
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Reauthorization Resources
Child Care and Development State Fund State Plan The federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is an aggregate of several funding sources that is distributed in block grants by the federal government to the states and territories. The majority of the funds are to be used to provide child care services to families who meet certain income and need criteria. A portion of the funding is to be used for activities to improve the quality of child care. Another portion is to be used to pay for costs of administering the CCDF. The purpose of the CCDF is to increase the availability, affordability, and quality of child care services. States and territories receiving CCDF funds must prepare and submit to the federal government a plan detailing how these funds will be allocated and expended. _ _ _ _ _ _ April 1, 2018 was the most recent deadline for public testimony for CCDF State Plan Fiscal Year (FY) 2019–21. The submission deadline for the final CCDF State Plan Fiscal Year (FY) 2019–21 is June 30, 2018 to the federal government. A proposed timeline of this process can be found at the CDE CCDF State Plan Timeline Web page. CLICK HERE TO SEE CAPPA'S INPUT LETTER for fiscal year 2019 -2021. Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2019-21 _ _ _ _ _ _Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2016-18
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Federal Legislation of RelevanceJune 11, 2018
House TANF Bill Makes Small Improvements, But No New Funding to Support Them By Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Renato Rocha Last week the House Committee on Ways and Means passed H.R. 5862, a TANF reauthorization bill, with no Democratic support. However, members of both parties have expressed a shared understanding that TANF isn't providing participants the education, training, and supportive services needed to find-and keep-good jobs that enable them to meet their families' needs. Read more. June 4, 2018
Child Care Aware of America Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee published draft legislation that would reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, including making significant changes to child care entitlement spending by states. In its current version, the legislation proposes raising the cap by allowing states to transfer up 50% of TANF funds to CCDF. However, it would prohibit these funds from being spent on child care activities. While CCAoA supports giving states more flexibility on child care investment, we fear that this proposal could negatively affect families and communities who depend on this support. Child Care Aware® of America provided comments on the draft bill to the Committee that you can review here . The official introduction and consideration of the bill may happen soon. As of now, there is no Senate companion legislation.
On the Hill Get Ready for Farm Bill Floor Fight: On April 18, the House Agriculture Committee reported out a Farm Bill, H.R.2 (pdf), that could see a House floor vote as soon as mid-May. This bill would take food out of the refrigerators and off the kitchen tables of more than 1 million households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), leading to significantly greater hunger and poverty. Meanwhile,the Senate Agriculture Committee is currently drafting its version of the Farm Bill, which is expected this spring. November 6, 2017With the state legislature on Interim recess, our attention and focus has turned to the federal government. Of particular interest is the Child Care for Working Families Act, introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate education committee. This bill aims to be a comprehensive early learning and child care bill with the goal of increasing access and affordable, high-quality child care for working families across the country. The bill, S. 1806, was introduced on 9/14/17 and has been referred to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where it is currently at in the legislative process. As highlighted in Senator Murray's press release, the main tenants of the bill are as follows:
Text for the bill can be found by clicking HERE. A fact sheet can be found HERE. A press release can be found HERE. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ May 2, 2019 Special Alert! House CCDBG Ask -Child Care Works Do you live in CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, MA, MD, MI, NJ, OK, WA, or WI?
If yes, then we need YOU to contact your representative and ask them for a $5 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)!
On April 30, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will meet to propose their budget priorities for next year. We need YOU to tell them why CCDBG needs a $5 billion increase. This critical funding will continue to assist states, providers, and parents to ensure young children are in healthy, thriving learning environments that will help them prepare school and succeed later in life.
Follow this link to contact your representatives!
April 30, 2019 Parents take to Capitol Hill to protest skyrocketing day care costs, short maternity leaves -WUSA9 In DC, a recent study found day care for an infant is over $20,000 a year. Some single mothers are working just to pay for child care. Families from all 50 states took over the east lawn of the U.S. Capitol today, in the third annual Strolling Thunder event. Local families say they are burnt out and cashed out, forced to pay skyrocketing day care costs.
In Washington D.C., a recent study by the non-profit Child Care Aware of America, found on average the cost of child care at a center is $23,666 per year. For an infant and 4-year-old, the cost is $42,323. That number is about three times as much as the annual cost of a public university tuition.
"I'm here because her daycare does cost more than my mortgage," said Masha Sapper. Sapper is a single mother living in Silver Spring. She says she pays $1,400 for an at-home daycare, which pales in comparison to friends who pay $2,000 per month at day care centers.
Strolling Thunder is in its third year. The group is hoping to get the attention of lawmakers to get parents nationwide more affordable, quality day care and to give parents time to bond with their baby. The study also found that for a single parent in DC, they are spending 91% of their income for one child in center-based care.
Some changes are on the way to help DC working parents. Starting next summer, the Paid Leave Act will provide 8 weeks of paid leave so parents can bond with children.
April 25, 2019 Inequitable Access to Child Care Subsidies -CLASP
"Child care is an essential support for families, allowing parents to work while their children learn and grow in a safe environment. Many families with low incomes qualify for child care assistance through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). However, few get the help they need because funding is insufficient to serve all eligible children.
This brief examines children's access to CCDBG-funded child care by state, race, and ethnicity using publicly available data from fiscal year (FY) 2016. It builds on CLASP's previous Disparate Access research. The Office of Child Care made a change to the way it reports CCDBG participation data beginning in FY 2016. As a result, CLASP was able to analyze children's race and ethnicity concurrently for the first time. Our analysis demonstrates that access to CCDBG-funded child care is low across the board. Just 8 percent of potentially eligible children are receiving subsidies based on federal income eligibility limits. And 12 percent of potentially eligible children are receiving subsidies based on state income eligibility limits. However, access varies significantly by race and ethnicity as well as from state to state.
Compared to potentially eligible children of other racial and ethnic groups, Black children had the highest rates of access nationally. Asian and Latinx children had the lowest rates. In no state, however, did more than half of all potentially eligible children in any racial or ethnic group receive subsidies under federal or state income parameters.
Administrative data alone cannot explain this variability. Our brief analyzes potential factors that may contribute to racial disparities in CCDBG access. We also offer next steps for states to further investigate and begin to address inequities in access to child care assistance."
April 23, 2019 Child Care is Hard to Find for Children With Disabilities -Childcare Aware of America
" Though the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed into law 30 years ago and is meant to protect those with disabilities against discrimination, parents and advocates continue to report problems with child care and after-school care providers with issues like lack of access, quality care, accommodations and discrimination against children with disabilities.
Federal law mandates that both publicly and privately owned child-care centers must evaluate and accommodate each child based on individual need. However, many providers often do not assess the need for accommodations, and will often reject a child before enrollment, or allow them to enroll and then kick them out of the program shortly after, due to challenges or behaviors related to their disability. Some providers also feel that taking care of a child with a disability is too much of a liability issue for them, and make excuses and refuse to allow the child to be enrolled.
Parents and families have also reported that providers would not accommodate children with any type of physical or medical need, or who was not toilet-trained, sometimes saying they did not have enough staff to assist those children. Several have been denied care for children with hearing impairments, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and those who are considered medically fragile. This leaves parents who do not have any other type of support with few options other than suing the child-care facility, which can be costly and time-consuming."
April 22, 2019 Quality Child Care Pays Off! -Childcare Aware of America
New research estimates an annual economic cost of $57 billion in lost earnings, productivity and revenue due to the lack of affordable and accessible child care. It's beneficial to both parents and employers to fix this child care crisis.
April 18, 2019
A Bipartisan Majority in COngress Call for Appropriations to Prioritize Early Childhood Funding -First Five Years Fund
"Each year through the appropriations process, Congress determines and allocates funding for federal programs, activities and priorities. And for the past several years , Congressional appropriations bills have sustained or increased funding for the federal early learning and care programs, even as other priorities and programs have been decreased or eliminated. The annual appropriations process provides a critical opportunity each year to both protect and build upon funding gains for the core early childhood education programs. And with many competing priorities that require funding, Members of Congress showcasing the bipartisan support for, and value of early childhood education is crucial to maintaining our momentum.
On Capitol Hill, "Dear Colleague" letters convey support for these programs among Members on both sides of the aisle. Lawmakers collaborate to show appropriators the breadth and depth of support among their colleagues, and often make specific requests related to program funding levels."
April 10, 2019 Health Resource Spotlight: Family Child Care -ChildCare Aware of America
Resources to Build and Retain the FCC Workforce
The problem: Across the nation, the supply of family child care providers is declining. What can be done to retain existing FCC providers, and attract new providers?
One solution: A suite of National Resources about Family Child Care , published on the website of the Early Childhood Training and Technical Assistance System (ECTTAS).
FCC providers may face challenges that center-based providers don't, including a sense of isolation, long workdays, a lack of support staff, and less business expertise. Stakeholders need to understand these issues so they can develop ways to support and increase the success and stability of FCC providers. The ECTTAS site has a collection of online tools and written products specific to FCC settings.
Online tools include a:
In addition to the online tools, the National Resources about Family Child Care webpage has links to nearly two dozen other reports, fact sheets and webinars on the following topics:
Senate Budget Committee Passes FY2020 Resolution; House to Focus on Spending Cap -ChildCare Aware of America
The House will forgo a budget resolution this year, and instead, push a spending cap proposal. The House could vote on this legislation this week. A Plan to Expand Tax Credits, Lifting Several Million Out of Poverty -CLASP
"The U.S. tax code is the single largest way the government supports wealth and asset building. However, a disproportionate share of federal tax benefits is funneled to wealthy, White households that own homes and businesses and have savings and investment accounts. The Working Families Tax Relief Act (WFTRA), introduced by Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Michael Bennet (CO), Dick Durbin (IL), and Ron Wyden (OR), strengthens the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), recognizing the importance of tax policy in promoting economic mobility. If enacted, the Act's changes would raise the incomes of 46 million households.
The EITC is a refundable tax credit for low- and moderate-income earners that provides income and supports work. The CTC is a partially refundable tax credit that helps working families with the cost of raising children and is worth up to $2,000 per eligible child (under age 17). The EITC and CTC have positive effects on health, asset building and savings, and educational achievement in children. For instance, credits as little as $1,000 have been shown to improve children's test scores and increase the likelihood of those children attending college and earning high wages as adults.
In conjunction with the CTC, the EITC lifted 8.9 million Americans out of poverty in 2017-including 4.8 million children-and reduced the depth of poverty for an additional 7.7 million people. Nevertheless, one of the EITC's biggest flaws is the paltry credit it provides to adults who are not raising children, which is too small to offset childless workers' tax liability. As a result, the tax code essentially taxes some of these workers into poverty-even after they receive the EITC. The WFTRA addresses this concern by expanding the EITC for childless workers by raising the maximum credit from $529 to $2,074 and expanding the age range from age 25-64 to 19-67...."
March 29, 2019 Can We Rewrite the History of Undervaluing Child Care Workers -National Women's Law Center " Child care workers are responsible for providing safe, nurturing environments for children while parents work or go to school. Despite the importance of their work, child care workers are too often underpaid and stressed, affecting their ability to support their own families and to provide quality care to the children they serve. Typical wages for child care workers are less than $11 an hour - pay that leaves more than one in six women who are child care workers living below the poverty line. Poverty rates are even higher for women of color in the child care workforce, especially those who are supporting children of their own. In one survey of early childhood teaching staff, nearly three-quarters expressed worry about having enough money to pay their bills, while almost half said they were worried about having enough food for their families . Low wages also make it challenging for child care providers to recruit and retain quality workers, undermining the stability and quality of care."
Link to article.
March 22, 2019 "All Families Should Be Able to Afford Childcare, and Here's How... A new bill would also make sure childcare providers earn a living wage" -The Nation "Only about one in six children who are eligible for childcare assistance in America actually receive it. In most states, childcare costs more than tuition at a four-year public university. And more than 50 percent of neighborhoods in America have a demand for childcare that exceeds supply.
But the Child Care for Working Families Act, reintroduced last month by Senator Patty Murray and Representative Bobby Scott and largely overlooked by the media, aims to change that. The legislation, which has been endorsed by all of the Democratic presidential candidates who are in Congress, would reach three in four children under age 13 by making quality childcare affordable for every low- and middle-income family who needs it. It would also provide a living wage to teachers, the majority of whom are low-income women of color. Childcare workers earn an average of $22,310 annually, and over 75 percent of them earn less than a living wage."
Link to article.
March 18, 2019
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a proven anti-hunger, anti-poverty program that helps young children and their parents, working adults, disabled individuals, and the elderly gain access to healthy food. Currently, the federal government is seeking comments on a proposed rule that would drastically change the work requirements for SNAP and make it harder for people to access the program. The destabilizing effect of this proposed rule could harm over 750,000 people and cut $15 billion from SNAP. We are calling on CCR&Rs and advocates to submit a comment to this proposed rule, telling the federal government you oppose this harmful change in policy. STEP 1: Download template and edit with your own personal message and/or story. STEP 2: Upload your comments to the Regulations.gov site by April 2 at 11:59 pm EST. (If you have trouble downloading the templates,send an email and we will make sure you can access them in a different format.) Comments are due April 2, 2019 and we strongly encourage you write to the USDA with your thoughts. Thanks for all you do for children and families! Chrisi West Director of Advocacy
Provides an update to CED's original report from 2015 to reflect the most currently available data. The 2019 Update examines the child care industry's effect on parents' participation in the labor force, and provides extensive details regarding the industry's impact on regional economic growth and development, including: usage rates, the role of public funding, revenues, and business structure. The report was commissioned by the Committee for Economic Development, produced by the economic firm, Region Track, Inc., and generously supported by the Alliance for Early Success. Link to the website and more fact sheets
Child Care Advocates Applaud Reintroduction of Child Care for Working Families Act - Child Care Aware of America, Jay Nichols; February 26, 2019 "Earlier today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced the "Child Care for Working Families Act of 2019" on Capitol Hill. At the press conference, Senator Murray was joined by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Bob Casey (D-PA), as well as several parent advocates. The legislation is nearly identical to the 2017 version. Child care plays an important role in the U.S. economy, helping to generate 15 million jobs and more than $500 billion in income annually. Families need child care so they can work, and children need a safe place where they can learn and continue their healthy development. Unfortunately, far too many low-income families do not have access to high-quality care, or cannot afford it. Over the past decade, the cost of child care has remained high, which has forced families to make the difficult decision of trying to afford putting their child in child care or leaving the workforce altogether. On average, millions of working families pay more for child care than they would for a mortgage/rent, transportation needs, or food every month. The Child Care for Working Families Act would ensure low-income families pay no more than seven percent of their annual income on child care, help young children gain access to preschool, and for the child care workforce. Child Care Aware® of America proudly endorses this legislation and encourages all members of Congress to support this bill. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to sponsor this legislation, or thank them for their current support." TAKE ACTION Contact Your Congressmember!
The Importance of Investing in the Child Care and Development Block Grant- Women's Law Center The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the major federal child care program, was enacted in 1990 in response to women's growing participation in the workforce and the struggle of these working women to find affordable, high-quality child care. Congress approved a $2.37 billion increase in March 2018. The new federal funds are essential to help address existing gaps in the child care assistance program. Only one in six children eligible for federal child care receives it. And only one state set its provider payment rates at the federally recommended level of February 2018. Click here to download. New Report Shows Nonstandard Hours of Work Cause More Obstacles For Families and Children- Child Care Aware of America Working Parents Need More Than "Day" Care WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) released its Nonstandard Hours (NSH) Paper: "It's About Time! Parents Who Work Nonstandard Hours Face Child Care Challenges," which found that the inadequate supply of NSH child care is problematic and raises concerns about access to safe, affordable, and quality child care for many families in our country. In today's economy, where anyone can work 24/7, many parents struggle to find reliable, affordable NSH child care. NHS is defined as hours worked outside the traditional Monday through Friday work week. By 2020, occupations requiring nonstandard schedules are projected to see the most employment growth. In the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation, 43 percent of all children under 18 in the United States have at least one parent who works NSH. This translates to about 31 million children who may need NSH care. Child care during nonstandard working hours is extremely limited when available and often, unlicensed. With a declining child care provider market, it's even harder to find NSH care. Many parents turn to a collection of center-based child care, home-based child care, and child care provided by family, friends, and neighbors. Lack of access to a consistent caregiver puts a strain on both parents and children in a number of ways and this report highlights that. Report Highlights
CCAoA works with state Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies to track the cost of care for children by age and setting, then compares each state's costs to its median income, ranking the states by affordability for each category of care. CCAoA's interactive mapshows the relationship between costs and median income by state. The organization has also partnered with the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) to add this year's data to an online interactive calculatorof child care expenses by area. Congress recently justified the more than $2.3 billion increase to the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) saying, "...the department should work with states to ensure they are meeting the needs of families with nontraditional work hours." However, more research needs to be done to determine the best practices for programs operating during nights and weekends in order to determine what those standards need to look like. States, communities and businesses are implementing innovative solutions to meet the NSH child care needs of their employees and of military families. Located in 47 states with touch points at the local, state and national levels, CCR&Rs are a vital resource for families, child care professionals, businesses and community stakeholders. CCR&Rs can connect families to child care providers offering care during evenings and weekends, and can be instrumental in recruiting, retaining and providing outreach to qualified providers to build the supply of NSH care in their communities. To read and download 2018's The US and the High Cost of Child Care and supplemental interactive map and fact sheets,
If the government shutdown continues into February, there may not be sufficient funding for food assistance for SNAP to provide full benefits for that month. The problem only gets worse if the shutdown continues into March. As a result, millions of low-income households - including millions of poor children, parents, elderly people, and people with disabilities - could have their basic food assistance cut back substantially next month and then virtually eliminated altogether in March if the shutdown continues. The President stated several days ago that the shutdown could go on for months or even years. What will happen in coming weeks with respect to SNAP thus is cause for very substantial concern. November 26, 2018
October 1, 2018
Click here to read the full article. October 1, 2018
Today's data show that:
Click here to read the full article by Erica Williams. September 4, 2018 Members of the conference committee are working on a final version of the Farm Bill, which includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a proven anti-poverty and anti-hunger program supporting low-wage working families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, and it is at risk of massive cuts that could lead to one million working families losing access to these benefits. Make sure the House and Senate conferees working on this legislation protect SNAP benefits as the Senate version of the bill proposes, and oppose any cuts to this critical program in a final Farm Bill. Click here to communicate to your elected representatives.
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Last weekend, the Trump Administration announced a very harmful draft proposal that would change the definition of a "public charge" in an effort to support its ongoing and extreme overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. 
New data out today from the U.S. Census Bureau show that progress for low-income Americans came to a near halt during the first year of the Trump Administration, in sharp contrast to previous years of progress. In 2017, the poverty rate fell slightly to 12.3 percent and the number of people in poverty was statistically unchanged from 2016, compared to the substantial decline in poverty in the previous two years (from 14.8
After several years of lower poverty rates, higher income, and broader health coverage, gains slowed - and