“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). 

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

Click here to watch live US Senate Floor proceedings. 

Click here to watch US House of Representatives hearings.

Federal Update: June 5, 2023

National Women's Law Center:

From the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC):

Following up on the brief NAEYC and NAFCC shared on the impact of stabilization grants on family child care (FCC) programs, I’m glad to be able to share another deep-dive brief on the impact of stabilization grants, this time on programs and educators working with infants and toddlers:

Impact of Child Care Stabilization Grants on Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers: How Grants Helped Programs and Families, and How the End of Grants Will Hurt Them / El impacto de las subvenciones de estabilización para el cuidado infantil en los programas que asisten a bebés y niños pequeños: Cómo ayudaron las subvenciones a los programas y las familias, y cómo les afectará el fin de las subvenciones

Key highlights from this brief, which we are releasing to be part of May All Babies Thrive month (#May4Babies), include:

Child Care Stabilization Grants Helped Programs, Educators, and Families

  • 28% of respondents from programs serving infants and toddlers said their programs “would be closed without the support” of stabilization grants.
    • 52% of respondents working in programs serving infants and toddlers who received stabilization grants, also reported receiving more money from a wage increase or supplement in the last year.

The End of Child Care Stabilization Grants Will Hurt

  • 35% of respondents from programs serving infants and toddlers reported that their program will be forced to raise tuition when the stabilization grants end, while 30% reported their program will have to cut wages.

Child Care Staffing Shortages = Child Care Supply Shortages

  • 62% of respondents working in programs serving infants and toddlers reported that their programs were experiencing a staffing shortage, causing both wait lists and under-enrollment.
    • 40% of programs with a staffing shortages reported a longer waitlist, while 41% reported being under-enrolled relative to their preferred capacity.  
  • 80% of respondents working with infants and toddlers believe that burnout/exhaustion is “greatly” or to “some extent” leading to problems retaining qualified teachers.
    • 1 in 3 respondents from programs working with infants and toddlers reported that they are considering leaving their program or closing their family child care home.

 

From Vermont Business Magazine: 

Sanders and Murray release report on worsening child care crisis, funding cliff

Ahead of a hearing today in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on child care funding, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the committee, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a senior member and former chair of the committee, released a stunning new report finding that if Congress fails to act before September 30, 2023, child care across the U.S. could become more expensive and more difficult to find. The critical child care funding Democrats delivered in the American Rescue Plan saved the child care sector from collapse as the pandemic hit – saving high quality child care slots for 10 million children nationwide and 1 million child care jobs. But the funding is set to expire on September 30th, putting access to affordable child care at risk. 

According to the report, once these funds run out:

  • 1 in 5 child care programs say they will have to serve fewer children.

  • 4 in 10 child care programs say they will be forced to raise tuition for working parents.

  • 3 in 10 child care programs say they will be forced to cut wages or be unable to sustain any previous wage increases. This will be devastating for a sector that is already short 54,000 workers.

Read the entire article here.

Read the report here.

 

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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Relevant Federal Legislation

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Federal News Spotlight:

Four ways the debt ceiling bill hurts kids

From First Focus on Children:

Last night the House passed a debt ceiling bill that will stave off disaster for the country as a whole, but will hurt millions of our children.

The package that now heads to the Senate takes its biggest cuts from discretionary spending, the discreet pot of money that funds most children’s programs. The deal limits federal discretionary spending to 1% growth over the next two years, which in reality results in a cut because the increase does not keep pace with inflation.

The cuts come as children face ever-increasing hardship. Child mortality rates are rising. The improved Child Tax Credit, which lifted millions of kids out of poverty, has expired. Millions more children may lose health care coverage through the Medicaid unwinding process, and will continue to face crises in our education, early childhood, and child care systems created by decades of disinvestment.

Read the entire article here.

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Federal Organizations Tracking Child Care and Early Education:

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Most viewed federal bills for week of June 4, 2023

1. H.R.3746 [118th] Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
2. H.Res.456 [118th] Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3746) to provide for a responsible increase to the debt ceiling.
3. H.R.2811 [118th] Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023
4. H.Res.57 [117th] Impeaching Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States, for abuse of power by enabling bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors.
5. H.J.Res.45 [118th] Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to “Waivers and Modifications of Federal Student Loans”.
6. S.596 [117th] Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2021
7. H.R.2617 [117th] Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
8. H.R.82 [118th] Social Security Fairness Act of 2023
9. H.Res.420 [118th] Impeaching Joseph Robinette Biden, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
10. H.R.5376 [117th] Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
   

Click here to find and contact your representative in congress.
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