Collins, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Quality Child Care

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined a group of her Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to increase working families' access to quality, affordable child care. The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act of 2024 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.

"Improving access to quality, affordable child care helps promote financial stability for families while benefiting small businesses and local economies. Child care alleviates stress on working parents because they know that their children are in a safe, structured environment where they can play and learn," said Senator Collins. "This bill will help increase the availability of reliable care for children, providing parents with a greater ability to work or attend classes to improve their own skills and education."

"High-quality child care is essential to ensuring every child has a strong start in life, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program is critical to making high-quality care affordable and accessible for millions of families. That's why Save the Children supports the efforts of Senators Fischer and Collins in the Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2024. It would strengthen CCDBG by raising reimbursement rates to providers to better match the true cost of care, increasing the supply of child care and quality of facilities, and supporting affordable child care in rural America," said Save the Children Managing Director Domestic Policy Roy Chrobocinski.

"CCDBG is a vital program that helps ensure low-income families have access to high-quality child care. CCDBG reauthorization is long overdue to modernize and make much-needed updates to the program. This bill will help increase access for more low-income families by providing states with greater flexibility, help ensure more providers will be reimbursed for the true cost of providing care, and help address widespread supply shortages. We applaud Sens. Fischer and Collins for their commitment to young children," said Early Care and Education Consortium Executive Director Radha Mohan.

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 CCDBG Reauthorization Act:

1. Ensures parental choice by supporting working parents as they choose the child care services that best suit their family's needs.

1. Strengthens child care services by moving states to a statistically valid and reliable cost estimation model for setting provider rates.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. Broadens community input in state child care plan development.

1. Reduces duplicative regulatory burdens on child care providers.

In addition to Senator Collins, the legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Todd Young (R-IN).

The bill has been endorsed by the First Five Years Fund, Save the Children, and the Early Care and Education Consortium.

The complete text of the bill can be read HERE.

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