Support the Child Care for Working Families Act
The Child Care for Working Families Act, introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), aims to tackle widespread inequities in child care and early education for families and providers. The bill, which has been revised and made more robust since it was initially introduced, would increase compensation for providers and staff, expand access to nearly all children under age 6, and make other investments in care throughout the nation.
One provision creates a grant program that would provide $9 billion annually to states, the District of Columbia, and tribes and territories. The Building an Affordable System for Early Education (BASE) grants would be distributed with a very similar formula used to distribute the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), and would allow states to determine how best to prioritize support for child care services for traditionally underserved families, including infants and toddlers, dual language learners, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness or in foster care, and children from families with low income, as well as children receiving care through CCDBG and families requiring nontraditional or extended hours. The grants would also support providers and aim to expand the workforce by increasing wages, paying for professional development, bolstering recruitment and retention, covering rent or mortgage costs for facilities, and supporting startup, expansion, and facilities improvement costs.
The Child Care and Working Families Act would also support Head Start and Early Head Start programs and providers, create the Birth Through Five Child Care and Early Learning Program, and expand access to high-quality universal preschool programs.
The BASE grants would bring $94,046,546 to Colorado, enabling the state to make critical investments in our child care infrastructure.
Reach out to Senator Hickenlooper today and urge him to support the Child Care for Working Families Act.
