Several Republican senators on Aug. 1 proposed legislation to bolster child care services, increase the number of childcare providers, and ramp up grant funding.
U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) sponsored the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act of 2024, S. 4967, alongside five original cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Todd Young (R-IN).
“Nebraska families deserve safe, reliable, and affordable child care. Unfortunately, high-quality child care is not always easy to come by, especially for those in rural areas,” Sen. Fischer said. “Our common-sense legislation will provide America’s working families with the options they need to prioritize their children.”
If enacted, S. 4967 would reauthorize and update the CCDBG to ensure parental choice, increase child care access, strengthen services, increase the supply of child care providers, improve facilities, assist in-home and rural child care providers, require broad community input in state child care plan development, and reduce duplicative regulatory burdens on childcare providers, according to a bill summary provided by the senators.
“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 Sen. 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.”
For instance, to ensure parental choice, S. 4967 would allow states flexibility in developing a mixed delivery system that includes centers, family child care homes, faith-based, nonprofit, for-profit, and family members to provide child care and preschool for children ages 0-5 and before-school, after-school, and summer care for school-age children, the summary says.
“I am proud to support working families across North Carolina by cosponsoring this bill that enhances parental choice, improves access to affordable care, and strengthens our child care infrastructure,” Sen. Tillis said. “The CCDBG reauthorization is common-sense legislation channeling federal child care assistance through a program with a proven track record of success and is a critical step forward in ensuring that every family has the quality child care they deserve.”
The bill also would provide funding to states to expand the supply and capacity of child care providers so working parents have multiple quality child care options to best suit their family’s needs and ensure childcare facilities are designed and equipped to keep children healthy and safe, the summary says.
“Hoosier and American families rely on affordable, quality, accessible child care and preschool options,” said Sen. Young. “Our bill would empower parents to decide what child care and preschool providers best suit the needs of their families and strengthen childcare capacity.”
S. 4967 has garnered support from the First Five Years Fund, Save the Children, First Five Nebraska, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Lincoln (Neb.) Chamber of Commerce, the Early Care and Education Consortium, and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute.