Tillis, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Expand Working Families’ Access to Quality Child Care

Aug 14 2024

Tillis, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Expand Working Families' Access to Quality Child Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Thom Tillis, alongside five of his Republican Senate colleagues, recently introduced The Child Care and Development Block Grant(CCDBG) Reauthorization Act of 2024, legislation that strengthens child care services, increases the supply of child care providers, and improves the program to support families and providers in the pursuit of quality, affordable child care.

"I am proud to support working families across North Carolina by co-sponsoring this bill that enhances parental choice, improves access to affordable care, and strengthens our child care infrastructure," said Senator Tillis. "The CCDBG Reauthorization Act is commonsense legislation channeling federal child care assistance through a program with a proven track record of success, and is a critical step forward in ensuring that every family has the quality child care they deserve."

Background:

The bill has been endorsed by the First Five Years Fund, Save the Children, First Five Nebraska, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Early Care and Education Consortium, and Buffett Early Childhood Institute.

The CCDBG Reauthorization Act of 2024 builds on the historically bipartisan CCDBG program which has assisted working families with their child care needs for over 30 years.

Specifically, the reauthorization:

• Ensures parental choice by supporting working parents as they choose the child care services that best suit their family's needs.
• Strengthens child care services by moving states to a statistically valid and reliable cost estimation model for setting provider rates.
• Provides funding to states to expand the supply and capacity of child care providers, as well as to ensure that child care facilities are designed and equipped to keep children healthy and safe.
• Assists in-home and rural child care providers by providing them with technical assistance, while also directing the Department of Agriculture to remove regulatory burdens that restrict the presence of home-based child care providers.
• Broadens community input in state child care plan development.
• Reduces duplicative regulatory burdens on child care providers.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

# # #