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In a rare show of unity amid partisan gridlock, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Wednesday aimed at addressing America’s mounting child care crisis. The proposal would modernize and expand the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the federal government’s primary funding mechanism for child care, which has not been updated in more than a decade.
The measure is led by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Susan Collins, R-Maine. Together, they hope to provide states with greater flexibility to support families, boost child care supply, and address workforce shortages.
“This is something that we need to work on together,” Fischer said in an interview. “We can’t just have one party or another try to take control, try to push something that won’t work in other parts of the nation.”
Expanding access for families
Currently, only families earning up to 85% of a state’s median income are eligible for federal child care subsidies. The new bill would allow states to issue waivers to extend eligibility to more families struggling with rising costs.
A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute found that more than 40% of U.S. families cannot access affordable child care. In 17 states, the average cost of care for a single infant is now higher than the average cost of rent.
The bill also seeks to strengthen support for in-home providers, who account for nearly 40% of care for children under age 4 in rural areas. New technical assistance and shared service networks would help these providers remain viable and meet quality standards.
Addressing provider shortages
Lawmakers say the legislation is also designed to tackle severe shortages in the child care workforce. By updating the grant program, states would be able to more effectively reimburse providers, helping retain workers and attract new entrants into the field.
Fischer noted that families in her home state consistently raise concerns about the lack of affordable care. “There is a lot of stress in families when you’re trying to balance everything: taking care of your children, being able to advance your career — and, a lot of times, that stress has consequences for families,” she said.
The bill would also require states to consult parents, employers and providers in crafting local child care plans, with an emphasis on underserved “child care deserts” and families of children with disabilities.
Momentum for child care reform
The First Five Years Fund, a leading advocacy group, endorsed the bipartisan effort. Executive director Sarah Rittling said child care remains one of the few issues in Washington that consistently crosses party lines.
“Access to affordable, reliable child care is one of the biggest challenges facing working families,” Rittling said. “This issue touches families in every single congressional district, and that’s why it is one of the few that hasn’t been politicized.”
She also pointed to the $16 billion child care investment enacted last year under President Donald Trump as evidence of growing momentum for federal action. That provision, though part of a broader spending package criticized by Democrats for cuts to Medicaid, represented the largest child care funding increase in years.
Rittling said the new bipartisan proposal builds on that foundation. “Because of the support, it’s starting a conversation about where we go from here and what we are doing at the federal government. Lawmakers constantly hear about it back home. It’s an issue in desperate need of solution.”
