On September 18, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved, 13-9, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act, S. 1086. The program last was authorized in 1996, as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (P.L. 104-193). The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), noted during her remarks that whereas in 1996 the CCDBG program focused on providing parents with workforce assistance, S. 1086 largely would focus on ensuring that children in low-income families have access to high-quality child care and educational opportunities.
According to the committee summary, the measure would reauthorize “such sums as may be necessary” to fund the CCDBG program through FY2019. States would be required to set aside three percent of their CCDBG funding to expand access to, and improve the quality of, child care and early childhood education. Within five years of the bill’s enactment, states must have set aside at least ten percent of their funds for quality improvement activities.
The bill would provide support for the establishment of health, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, and development guidelines. It also would ensure that the CCDBG program coordinates with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements for infants, toddlers, and preschool children.
Under the legislation, qualified children would be entitled to a one-year subsidy for child care. Parents then would have opportunities to prove their continued eligibility for the CCDBG program. Parents’ needs, including work schedules, would be taken into account when considering ongoing support.
States would be required to provide pre-service health and safety training to all CCDBG providers; health and safety standards related to First Aid and the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome, would be developed. Child care personnel would be required to undergo background checks.
