Quality, affordable child care

Families want and need access to quality, affordable child care that offers their children a safe environment, nurturing relationships with caring adults, and positive early learning experiences, while supporting their own ability to work. Yet our country’s already fragile, underfunded child care system is falling short of what babies, families, and child care providers need to thrive and our economy needs to stay strong. Congress temporarily stabilized the child care system with the COVID-19 pandemic, but that funding has expired. Robust federal funding is needed to prevent the child care system from collapsing entirely, and to strengthen it so that all families have access to high-quality programs where and when they need them; providers are well compensated for their skills and receive the supports that they need; and babies and toddlers arrive at school ready to learn and prepare for future success.

The Child Care Stabilization Act 

Emergency funding that was used to support the child care system during the pandemic expired on September 30, which could lead to millions of children losing child care and more than 70,000 child care providers closing. This bill would provide the short-term funding needed to keep the child care system from collapsing, although more comprehensive solutions like the Child Care for Working Families Act are necessary for long-term sustainability. 

The Child Care for Working Families Act 

This comprehensive bill would ensure families have access to quality child care options that meet their diverse needs and support their children’s healthy development. Under this bill,  no families would pay no more than 7 percent of their income for child care, with particular attention to the need to invest in and build a supply of high-quality infant and toddler care. It would also provide increased access to training and professional development and increased compensation for the early educators who do the critical work of caring for our young children.