Earlier this week, former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) and former Congressman George Miller (D-CA) – the Co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Early Childhood Initiative – wrote to congressional leaders urging them to double the funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for children ages birth to five.
“As you work to complete the FY 2018 appropriations bill, we urge you to double the funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for children ages birth to five. The cost of child care is a major challenge for millions of American families. Since child care assistance is essential to many parents’ stable employment and can influence the quality of child care available to working parents, dedicating additional resources to CCDBG is an efficient and effective mechanism to help ensure families’ stable employment, children’s well-being, and our country’s economic security. By doubling the amount of funding for children under five, we estimate that an additional 364,800 families will have access to higher quality child care.”
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) recognizes the difference access to child care can make in a child’s development by increasing the consistency of care. The block grant provides subsidies to states to help low-income families pay for child care so that families with children under age 13 can work or attend school, and children will be prepared for school success. The availability of funds for CCDBG has made it possible for families to access child care who otherwise could not afford it.
CCDBG was first enacted in 1990, and authorizes the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which is administered by the Office of Child Care (OCC) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). With champions on both sides of the aisle in support of the legislative agreement, the CCDBG Act was reauthorized for the first time in 18 years in November 2014. CCDBG has now been significantly revised to include health and safety requirements for child care providers, increasing quality and improving transparency so families are equipped to make the best choice.
Late last year, Santorum and Miller authored a report for BPC – A Bipartisan Case for Early Childhood Development – which explores how, as a nation, we can better support young children and their families to make sure that all Americans start the journey of life with a fair shot at realizing their full potential and becoming successful, productive adults.
Read the letter to lawmakers from Sen. Santorum and Rep. Miller here.