For the first time in more than a decade, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) would be reauthorized under newly proposed legislation introduced on Sept. 17 by U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME).
“The CCDBG has provided working families with child care services for 30 years,” the senators said in a joint statement released Wednesday. “We will continue to work to fund the program to ensure these changes can be implemented and continue to serve families who need child care assistance.
“It’s time to reauthorize this important program to extend child care to more hard-working American families,” said Sens. Fischer and Collins, who sponsored and cosponsored, respectively, the Child Care Modernization Act of 2025, S. 2828, along with fellow cosponsor U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
“Affordable, quality child care is a necessity, not a luxury,” said the senators. “Unfortunately, that is not the reality, especially in rural areas. With the Child Care Modernization Act, we will reauthorize and improve the [CCDBG] to provide significant, positive change in childcare access and quality.”
If enacted, S. 2828 would strengthen childcare services by moving states to use cost estimation models for setting provider rates to adequately compensate childcare providers.
The bill also would ensure parental choice by allowing states to develop a mixed delivery system of child care and preschool for children up to age 5 and before-school, after-school, and summer care for school-age children. It also would introduce a new grant program within the CCDBG framework to assist providers in creating and expanding the supply of providers.
Additionally, S. 2828 would improve state childcare plans by improving support for families and communities, reducing barriers to the program, and increasing access and affordability to serve more families, among other provisions, according to a bill summary provided by the senators.
Several organizations endorsed the measure, including the Afterschool Alliance, the Bipartisan Policy Center Action, Child Care Aware of America, the Independent Restaurant Coalition, the National Association of Counties, the National Association of Women Business Owners, and YMCA of the USA, among many others.