I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3545 
To amend section 2202 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to authorize 
States to expand the uses of the child care stabilization funds to include 
support for the creation or enhancement of family child care networks 
designed to increase, or to improve the quality of, child care provided 
by family child care providers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2021 
Ms. STEFANIK (for herself and Mr. SMUCKER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend section 2202 of the American Rescue Plan Act 
of 2021 to authorize States to expand the uses of the 
child care stabilization funds to include support for the 
creation or enhancement of family child care networks 
designed to increase, or to improve the quality of, child 
care provided by family child care providers, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family Child Care 
Networks Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS. 
Section 2202 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 
2021 (Public Law 117–2; March 11, 2021) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (e) by striking ‘‘such a 
subgrant’’ and inserting ‘‘a subgrant under sub-
section (d)’’, 
(2) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub-
section (h), and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(f) SUBGRANTS
TO FAMILY CHILD CARE NET-
WORKS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(d)(2)(A) and with the authorization of the State 
under paragraph (6), the lead agency may use the 
remainder of grant funds awarded pursuant to sub-
section (c) to make subgrants to be obligated before 
October 1, 2024, and expended before October 1, 
2025, to eligible entities to support the creation or 
enhancement of family child care networks to pro-
vide core services to family child care providers for 
the purpose of expanding the availability of family 
child care services. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In making subgrants under 
this subsection, the lead agency shall give priority to 
eligible entities that will offer core services to family 
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childcare providers in geographical areas identified 
by the State as having high needs, based on a com-
prehensive needs assessment of under-served areas 
and rural areas. 
‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.— 
‘‘(A) Core Services. Services provided to 
family child care providers that include the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) Consolidated business practices or 
administrative support. 
‘‘(ii) Startup support for new family 
child care providers to reimburse the costs, 
not to exceed $10,000 per provider, to 
make facility improvements or modifica-
tions to meet health and safety require-
ments, to form a small business, to sup-
port initial marketing and communications, 
to purchase technology and supplies, and 
to participate in professional development. 
‘‘(iii) Professional development of new 
family child care providers, including sup-
port to obtain the advanced skills and cer-
tifications necessary to operate as a family 
child care provider. 
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‘‘(iv) Technical assistance, and health 
and safety compliance assistance to sup-
port providers who seek to obtain a license; 
or to support providers who seeking to pro-
vide services for which assistance is pro-
vided under the Child Care and Develop-
ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
9857 et seq.) and the child and adult care 
food program under section 17 of the 
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1766). 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Entities quali-
fied to receive a subgrant under this subsection 
include community-based organizations, private 
or public nonprofit organization, and workforce 
development boards that will offer not fewer 
than 2 of the core services. 
‘‘(C) FAMILY
CHILD
CARE
PROVIDER.— 
The term ‘family child care provider’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 658P of the 
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n). 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that 
receives funds through such a subgrant shall use 
funds to provide at least 2 of the core services de-
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scribed under paragraph (3) to family child care 
providers and may use funds to provide additional 
services, including— 
‘‘(A) monitoring support and improvement 
activities; 
‘‘(B) peer networking and support activi-
ties; 
‘‘(C) recruitment of new family child care 
providers; 
‘‘(D) technical assistance to increase fam-
ily child care services to support specialized 
populations, 
including 
non-traditional 
hour 
care, children with disabilities, dual-language 
learners, infants, and toddlers; 
‘‘(E) community outreach to families and 
employers to increase awareness of family child 
care opportunities; and 
‘‘(F) collaborative purchasing of supplies 
and technology to increase cost savings. 
‘‘(5) REIMBURSEMENTS FOR PROVIDERS.—Any 
family child care provider seeking reimbursement for 
start-up expenses allowed pursuant to paragraph 
(3)(A)(ii) shall provide the following documentation 
to the eligible entity: 
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‘‘(A) Invoices of each expense for which 
the provider is seeking reimbursement. 
‘‘(B) An assurance such expenses are nec-
essary, one-time expenses to operate a family 
child care center in accordance with local health 
and safety requirements. 
‘‘(C) An assurance the provider cannot pay 
for the work without assistance and that there 
is not access to other Federal or State funding 
to help with the costs. 
‘‘(6) AMENDED PLAN AND REPORT.—If a State 
elects to authorize the lead agency to provide sub-
grants to eligible entities under this subsection the 
State shall amend the State plan submitted under 
section 658E of the Child Care and Development 
Block Grant Act of 1990 to specify— 
‘‘(A) the goals and outcomes the State in-
tends to achieve to improve the availability of 
services provided by family child care providers; 
‘‘(B) how the State will measure and 
evaluate family child care networks in relation 
to these goals; 
‘‘(C) how the State will continue to sup-
port family child care networks that are suc-
cessful at achieving such goals after the expend-
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iture of such subgrants, including support of 
such networks under of the Child Care and De-
velopment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
9857); and 
‘‘(D) after the expenditure of such sub-
grants by such networks, the State shall submit 
to the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
a report that measures with respect to each 
supported eligible entity— 
‘‘(i) the amount of the subgrant re-
ceived by such entity; 
‘‘(ii) the period of time during which 
such subgrant was expended by such enti-
ty; 
‘‘(iii) which core services were offered 
by such entity during such period; 
‘‘(iv) the number of family childcare 
providers who received core services de-
scribed in subparagraphs provided by such 
entity during such period; 
‘‘(v) the number of children who re-
ceived services during such period from the 
supported family child care providers; 
‘‘(vi) the increase or decrease in the 
number of family child care providers in 
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the geographical area served by such entity 
during such period; and 
‘‘(vii) the extent to which such goals 
and outcomes improved the quality and 
availability of services provided by family 
child care providers served by such net-
work. 
‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, acting through the National 
Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance of the Of-
fice of Child Care, shall disseminate best practices infor-
mation and offer technical assistance to States, Terri-
tories, Indian Tribes, and eligible entities to help imple-
ment family child care networks and to support family 
child care providers, to carry out the purposes and meet 
requirements of subsection (f). Information and technical 
assistance provided under this subsection— 
‘‘(1) shall include supporting family child care 
networks in offering the core services described in 
subsection (f)(3)(A); 
‘‘(2) may include supporting family child care 
networks to offer additional services described in 
subsection (f)(4); and 
‘‘(3) may include any other topic the Secretary 
identifies as important or necessary to fulfil the 
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goals of subsection (f), including topics requested by 
States, family child care networks, and family child 
care providers.’’. 
Æ 
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