I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5992 
To establish demonstration projects to provide at-home infant care benefits. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2006 
Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Ms. 
BORDALLO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish demonstration projects to provide at-home infant 
care benefits. 
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 ‘‘Choices in Child Care 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Currently, child care assistance for children 
from low-income working families is severely under-
funded, allowing only 1 in 7 eligible children to re-
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ceive child care assistance for children from birth to 
age 13. 
(2) Funding for the Child Care and Develop-
ment Block Grant Act of 1990 has remained rel-
atively flat for 5 years, making it more difficult for 
children from eligible families to receive child care 
assistance. 
(3) In the majority of United States families, 
parents, whether married or single, must work to 
provide economic security for their families and, not 
the least, for the infants newly welcomed into the 
families. Fifty-five percent of women with children 
less than 1 year of age are part of the workforce, 
while 73 percent of women with children 1 year of 
age or older are in the workforce. 
(4) Research shows that the quality and nature 
of caretaking in the first months and years of life 
are critical to a young child’s subsequent brain de-
velopment, social development, and well-being. 
Healthy early development depends on nurturing 
and responsible relationships. 
(5) Research also shows that there is an ex-
treme shortage of quality, affordable child care for 
infants. Numerous studies document lack of infant 
care and, in particular, affordable care that meets 
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basic health and safety standards, particularly in 
rural areas. The current number of infant slots of 
licensed child care providers can only meet 18 per-
cent of the potential need. The shortage is even 
more acute in rural areas, especially those with a 
high percentage of low-wage residents. 
(6) For the well-being of United States chil-
dren, and for the economic security of the families 
on which the children depend, working parents 
should be able to provide child care for infants them-
selves without undermining family economic sta-
bility. 
SEC. 3. AT-HOME INFANT CARE. 
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 
of 1990 is amended by inserting after section 658G (42 
U.S.C. 9858e) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 658H. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO PROVIDE AT- 
HOME INFANT CARE BENEFITS. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO AWARD GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants to not less than 5 and not more than 7 
States to enable such States to carry out demonstra-
tion projects to provide at-home infant care benefits 
to eligible low-income families. 
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‘‘(2) INDIAN
TRIBES.—The Secretary may 
award grants to Indian tribes under this subsection. 
An Indian tribe that receives a grant under this sub-
section shall carry out a demonstration project to 
provide at-home infant care benefits to eligible low- 
income families. The Indian tribe shall carry out the 
demonstration project in the same manner, and to 
the same extent, as a State that receives a grant 
under this subsection, except that the Secretary may 
modify the requirements of this section as appro-
priate with respect to the Indian tribe. 
‘‘(3) CALCULATION.—Any grant awarded to an 
Indian tribe under paragraph (2) shall not be count-
ed in determining the number of grants awarded to 
States under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(b) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 
‘‘(1) APPLICATION FOR PARTICIPATION AND SE-
LECTION OF STATES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to par-
ticipate in the program carried out under this 
section and receive a grant under subsection (a) 
to carry out a demonstration project, a State 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require. 
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‘‘(B) NOTICE.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of Choices in Child 
Care Act, the Secretary shall publish in the 
Federal Register a notice of opportunity to par-
ticipate in the program and receive such a 
grant, specifying the contents of an application 
described in subparagraph (A). The notice shall 
include a timeframe for States to submit such 
an application, and shall provide that all such 
applications shall be submitted not later than 
270 days after such date of enactment. 
‘‘(C) SELECTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary 
shall review the applications and select the 
participating States not later than 1 year 
after such date of enactment. 
‘‘(ii) CRITERIA.—In selecting the par-
ticipating States, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(I) seek to ensure geographic di-
versity; and 
‘‘(II) give priority to States— 
‘‘(aa) 
whose 
applications 
demonstrate a strong commit-
ment to improving the quality of 
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