A bipartisan group of senators recently introduced legislation to help low and moderate income parents access and afford childcare while they work or attend school.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2013 reauthorizes and updates the CCDBG program. The program was last reauthorized in 1996. The sponsors of the new legislation are Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).
“When parents leave their children in the care of someone else, they want to know their children are in a safe place with qualified providers,” Burr said. “The CCDBG is an important federal program to ensure that low-income parents have access to child care so that they can work. Since its creation, the CCDBG program has experienced many positive developments that have boosted the quality of federally-subsidized child care.”
The previous reauthorization focused primarily on workforce aid, according to Burr. The intervening years have raised awareness about the necessity of not just providing children with a place to go, but also the importance of providing children with high-quality care.
The proposed bill also includes a provision from Burr to require criminal background checks for all child care providers.
Mikulski said the program is intended to give parents peace of mind no matter what income level they are at.