“Children Learning, Parents Earning, Communities Growing"

The content on this page is to serve as a resource of pending federal legislation, information from national partners and relevant updates to the Child Care Development & Block Grant (CCDBG) law and to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) updated as of July 25, 2023. 

Click here to go to Federal Code of Regulations PART 98 - CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND

Click here to see Child Care Aware's one-pager on the CCDBG

Click here to watch live US Senate Floor proceedings. 

Click here to watch US House of Representatives hearings.

Click here to see the Notice of Proposed Rule Changes for CCDF

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UPDATED: September 25, 2023

Federal Update

National Women's Law Center

Congress has left DC for the weekend without measurable progress on avoiding a government shutdown. Congressional Republicans have not come to an agreement about how to move forward with budget negotiations; let alone additional outstanding priorities such as the Farm Bill and supplemental request, among others. It is probable that the Senate will now draft the Continuing Resolution to keep the government in operation, but likely not before a shutdown following the September 30 midnight deadline. More: Hard-right Republicans push closer to a disruptive federal shutdown | AP News

 

This week, the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Dads Caucus held a press conference outside the Capitol urging Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Republican leadership to act—including by holding a floor vote on the Child Care Stabilization Act—before the looming child care funding cliff on September 30th.  

Also this week, Chairing a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Policy, Senator Warren (D-MA) asked witnesses about the potential consequences of the looming child care funding cliff for the American economy. Witnesses spoke to the importance of solving this funding crisis and investing in child care to ensure parents can join or stay in the workforce, businesses can hire the workers they need, and children can experience the long-term benefits of high-quality early education and care.

Check out this short clip of hearing witness, Dr. Kathryn Anne Edwards, speaking about tax cuts and the tendency for Congress to give tax cuts a long runway to have an impact and "trickle down" outcomes, but not when it comes to child care. Watch on Twitter.

Take Action

This week, Congressman Landsman (D-OH-01) and Congresswoman Bonamici (D-OR-01) introduced legislation endorsed by more than 40 national organizations to increase funding for child care providers and improve child care nutrition.

The Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act would address financial challenges faced by child care providers across the country who utilize the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) – a key federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that reimburses child care providers for meals and snacks they serve to more than 4.2 million children each day in participating family child care homes, child care centers, Head Start programs, and after school programs.

In real dollars, the Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act would mean:

  • A family child care provider serving 7 children could receive an additional $475 a month or $5,700 a year in reimbursements
  • A Head Start program or child care center serving 100 children could receive an additional $600 a month or $7,200 a year in reimbursements

To achieve these results, the Child Nutrition Enhancement Act would modify the Child and Adult Care Food Program by:

  • Eliminating a two-tiered reimbursement rate system for family child care providers where reimbursement rates vary depending on the level of local poverty
  • Providing a 10-cent increase – tied to inflation – to existing reimbursement rates for all eligible meals and snacks provided through the program
  • Allowing family child care providers to serve reimbursable meals and snacks to their own children when serving meals and snacks to children in their care

Please amplify using this toolkit.

Supplemental Request

Senators Murray (D-WA) and Sanders (I-VT), and House Democratic Whip Clark (D-MA-05) others, introduced the Child Care Stabilization Act to extend vital federal child care stabilization funding—which is set to expire at the end of this month—and ensure that child care programs can keep their doors open and continue serving children and families in every part of the country.

The Biden Administration has also voiced its support for this Congressional effort. Tweet here.

More:

From Child Care Aware of America:

Child Care Aware of America has a new blog available, State Session Round Up: Summer 2023. 

Overall, as federal relief funds approach their liquidation deadlines, we’re seeing more states appropriate additional general funds than in years past toward ECE, including to make permanent policies that were initially funded with relief funding. Of course, we know this level of progress isn’t happening in every state, hence the continued need for substantial federal funding.

Many thanks to all the state partners who have shared their legislative wins and happenings over the last few months. If you have a policy win that you would like included in this summary, or find any corrections that need to be made, please feel free to email Diane Girouard ([email protected]).

From the Council for a Strong America:

Quality child care, particularly for infants and toddlers, is often unavailable or unaffordable for many families, particularly those with low incomes. One of the main drivers of this crisis is inadequate compensation and subpar working conditions for early educators, which result in high levels of turnover, impacting the availability and quality of programs. 

That is the top-line message of a stunning new report, Child Care Educators Set Young Kids on the Path to Success. The new report comes from the law enforcement membership group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, part of Council for a Strong America. 

The law enforcement members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids know that early childhood education programs are a powerful way to give kids the right start in life and help them avoid becoming involved in crime later. To achieve this public safety goal, programs must be high-quality, and educator compensation, education, and professional development are key components of quality. 

Social toolkit here.

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Federal News Spotlight:

Making Copayments Affordable As Child Care Emergency Funding Expires

From CLASP:

Rising child care costs are a significant barrier to access, particularly for families with low incomes who spend the highest percentage of their income on care. Some families with low incomes can access assistance through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), but this program only reaches one in six eligible children due to significant underfunding. Barriers to access are exacerbated for families of color who are even less likely to access care despite eligibility. When families do receive child care assistance, many of them must still pay a portion of the cost, otherwise known as a copayment. Copayment scales vary from state to state and are influenced by income level, family size, and other factors. However, a history of underinvestment in child care results in low wages and lack of other support for providers which can make copayments complex and unaffordable for families...

Read the entire article here.

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Federal Organizations Tracking Child Care and Early Education:

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Relevant Federal Legislation

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Most viewed federal bills for week of September 25, 2023

Number in listBill numberBill title
1. H.R.2670 [118th] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
2. S.596 [117th] Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2021
3. S.1323 [118th] SAFE Banking Act of 2023
4. H.R.82 [118th] Social Security Fairness Act of 2023
5. H.R.2617 [117th] Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
6. H.R.5376 [117th] Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
7. S.1409 [118th] Kids Online Safety Act
8. H.R.4366 [118th] Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024
9. S.24 [116th] Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019
10. S.1111 [118th] ADVANCE Act of 2023
   

Click here to find and contact your representative in congress.

 

For information on child care in the President's budget, click below:

 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Early Childhood Development 

The Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD) oversees early care and education programs in the Administration of Children and Families (ACF). ECD provides leadership to support a national agenda focused on young children, their families, and the early care and education workforce. ECD works on administration priorities, interagency projects, budget proposals, and various policy strategies related to early childhood programs and services. 

Taxes

We encourage you to visit the following sources:

ChildTaxCredit.Gov

IRS: 2022 Child Tax Credit General Information

IRS: Child Tax Credit: Manage Payment, Check Eligibility, Application for Non-filers

 

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