Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) recently lauded the recent passage of the bipartisan Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2013.
The act, passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, reauthorizes and updates the CCDBG program that is meant to aid low income parents in accessing and affording child care while they attend school or work.
“For parents to choose care effectively, they need quality information about who is providing good care and who is not,” Burr said. “The transparency we incorporate in this law will go a long way toward making parents well-informed consumers of child care. Of particular importance to me, no longer will it be acceptable for federal dollars to go to child care providers who have been convicted of violent crimes. We have included a requirement that anyone who has unsupervised access to children while receiving federal dollars must undergo a background check.”
When last reauthorized in 1996, the CCDBG program focused primarily on workforce aid. In the years since, additional information has made clear it is necessary to provide children with a place to go and high-quality care. As a result, the CCDBG Act of 2013 requires states to devote more funding to quality initiatives, including training, professional development and professional advancement of the child care workforce.
The bill also requires CCDBG providers to meet certain health and safety requirements related to the prevention and control of infectious diseases, first aid and CPR, child abuse prevention, administration of medication, prevention of and response to emergencies due to food allergies, prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome, building and physical premises safety, and emergency response planning.