Child CARE Act

Bill: 114-hr-4524
Sponsor: Rep. Crowley, Joseph [D-NY-14]
Introduced: 2016-02-10 in the House
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Appropriations
Child care and development
Child health
Indian social and development programs
Mental health
Nutrition and diet
Poverty and welfare assistance
Preschool education
State and local government operations
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: 

Child Care Access to Resources for Early-learning Act or the Child CARE Act 

 
This bill amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to make appropriations through FY2021 to the Department of Health and Human Services for allotments to states to:
 
 
expand access to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers from low-income families who do not receive child care funded through the Child Care and Development (CCD) Fund, and
 
increase the quality of such care for infants and toddlers who do receive child care funded through the CCD Fund.
 
 
The state shall reserve at least 80% of funds for direct services provided through grants, contracts, or certificates, to expand access to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers and to increase parental options for and access to such care. 
 
The state shall use the cost of a mandatory triennial high-quality child care study to ensure that for all infant and toddler child care slots: (1) the child care is of sufficient quality, (2) the care providers are supported along a career pathway to achieve higher levels of training and education, and (3) the provider rates are sufficient.
 
The state shall also ensure that all infant and toddler child care providers participating in CCD Fund-supported activities meet certain quality standards by the end of FY2026.
 
The state shall: (1) identify underserved geographic areas and special populations; and (2) develop and implement a plan to increase the availability of high-quality child care in such areas and populations, especially those that are hard-to-serve. 
 
The state shall reserve certain funds to carry out specified activities to increase the quality of child care programs for infants and toddlers in eligible families.
 
An Indian tribe or tribal organization that receives a grant through an allotment for Indian and Native Hawaiian Child Care shall use the grant funds to provide, by the end of FY2026, access to high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate child care for infants and toddlers for eligible families in the tribal community.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
action_date: 2016-02-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Introduced in House