III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 594 

Calling for the payments to States for the Child Care and Development 

Block Grant program to be sufficient to cover losses experienced by 

child care providers due to the COVID–19 pandemic. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 21, 2020 

Mrs. LOEFFLER (for herself and Ms. ERNST) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the payments to States for the Child Care and 

Development Block Grant program to be sufficient to 

cover losses experienced by child care providers due to 

the COVID–19 pandemic. 

Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has disrupted the child 

care market and has resulted in decreased demand for 

child care, closures of child care providers, and unemployment for parents; 

Whereas before the pandemic, many working families faced 

challenges of increasing costs of child care, and a lack of 

access to child care, including a lack of access in child 

care deserts; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
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•SRES 594 IS 

Whereas in the months before the pandemic, the Child Care 

and Development Block Grant program provided access 

to affordable child care each month to nearly 850,000 

families, and over 1,400,000 children; 

Whereas child care providers have lost significant income 

from families who cannot pay and from reduced State reimbursements; 

Whereas in March 2020, in a nationwide survey of child care 

providers, 30 percent of the child care providers said they 

would not withstand a closure of more than 2 weeks 

without significant public investment and support, an additional 17 percent of the child care providers said they 

would not withstand a closure of any amount of time 

without that investment and support, and only 11 percent of the child care providers were confident they could 

withstand a closure of an indeterminate length without 

that investment and support; 

Whereas child care providers that remain open are supporting 

our Nation’s front line of defense by providing child care 

for essential workers who are first responders, health 

care, public transit, and grocery store workers, and workers in essential industries, and who have an estimated 

6,000,000 children under the age of 13 in need of emergency care; 

Whereas those providers are facing challenges of increased 

costs for cleaning their facilities and providing a safe environment for children; 

Whereas the CARES Act provided $3,500,000,000 for the 

Child Care and Development Block Grant program and 

much-needed relief for families and businesses; 


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•SRES 594 IS 

Whereas an estimated additional $25,000,000,000 is still 

needed for the Child Care and Development Block Grant 

program to provide minimum sufficient funds to States, 

ensuring that many child care providers remain open and 

many others are able to reopen their facilities; and 

Whereas the United States is beginning to recover and accessible child care is crucial for working parents to return 

to work: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate calls for— 

2 (1) significant funds, in addition to the amount 

3 provided under the CARES Act (Public Law 116– 

4 136), to be made available through payments to 

5 States for the Child Care and Development Block 

6 Grant program; and 

7 (2) those funds to be used for the purposes of 

8 making maintenance grants for eligible child care 

9 providers under the Child Care and Development 

10 Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.)— 

11 (A) to support the providers in paying 

12 costs associated with closures, or decreased at13 tendance or enrollment, related to coronavirus; 

14 and 

15 (B) to assure the providers are able to re16 main open or reopen as appropriate. 

Æ 


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