Kaine Underscores Need to Pass His Bipartisan Child Care Legislation Following Century Foundation Report

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, reiterated the need to pass his bipartisan legislation to address the child care crisis following a new report released by The Century Foundation. The report found that child care costs in Virginia have increased by 11% since 2019, while child care employment levels fell by 18 percent from 2019 to 2023. In Virginia, the average cost for an infant in a center is $16,397 per year, and the annual cost for two children in a center is 73% more than the average rent payment and 24% more than the average mortgage payment.

"This report underscores what I hear around Virginia-that child care is unaffordable for many families, and that providers are struggling to retain staff and keep their doors open. This crisis isn't going to go away on its own, and it's negatively impacting our economy as many parents aren't able to enter the workforce. Congress must act to make it easier for parents to access quality, affordable care for their kids. This is an issue that transcends parties and state lines, and I will keep working with my colleagues to garner support for my bipartisan legislation with Senator Britt," said Kaine.

The full report can be found here.

Kaine has long been pushing to expand access to child care. In July 2024, he introduced the bipartisan Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act-two pieces of legislation to make child care more affordable and accessible. Last fall, he introduced the Child Care Stabilization Actto expand vital child care funding to help providers keep their doors open. He has also introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act to expand access to child care, raise wages for providers, and lower costs for families by ensuring no family pays more than 7% of their income on child care.He has introduced bipartisan legislation to develop, administer, and evaluate early childhood education apprenticeships.

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