Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today joined a bipartisan group of leaders from the House and Senate at the White House for the bill signing ceremony for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG). As Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, Loebsack helped negotiate the final agreement, which will enhance transparency, strengthen health and safety protections, and improve the quality of child care for low-income families.
"Ensuring your child is safe and well cared for when you are not around is a concern for every parent. For low-income working families who are struggling to make ends meet, having someone to care for their children can mean the difference between finding a job or not," said Loebsack. "The Child Care Development Block Grant provides a critical lifeline to families and allows them to work or attend school with the peace of mind knowing their children are safe and well cared for. This bipartisan legislation makes long needed updates and improvements to CCDBG that will promote healthy child development and enhance quality and safety. I am pleased that both Republicans and Democrats came together to help improve the lives of working families."
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act provides funds to states to help low-income families pay for child care while a parent works or is in an educational or job training program. The law has not been reauthorized since 1996.
The bipartisan, bicameral legislation includes reforms to:
· Enhance parental choice by providing information about available care options from all providers, including faith-based and community-based providers, and allowing parents to choose the child care provider that best suits their family's needs.
· Strengthen safety in child care settings by requiring all providers to comply with state health, safety, and fire standards and undergo annual inspections.
· Promote high quality child care by reserving funds at the state level to improve the quality of care provided to children, enhancing states' ability to train providers and develop safer and more effective child care services.
The text of the bill is available here.
