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Bipartisan Advocacy Achieving Results for Children And Families

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LEGISLATION WE’RE WATCHING

Child care is essential to the health and strength of our nation. Today, 26.8 million people in the workforce — 1 out of every 6 — rely on child care so they can work or go to school. Federal programs provide the backbone of child care and early learning in the United States. To make sure all families can find and afford reliable, quality care, we need Congress to protect, prioritize, and build on programs that work. Here is a small sample of current legislation we are watching.

Below is a sample of current legislation we are watching.

S. 4874 – Child Care Availability and Affordability Act 
S. 4880 – Child Care Workforce Act

Introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Katie Britt (R-AL), this bipartisan package would update current tax provisions to help more parents afford the child care they need, while also addressing child care workforce challenges by creating a pilot program to boost the supply of child care workers.

H.R. 4571 – Child Care Investment Act

Introduced by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), this bill would update three specific provisions of the United States tax code (CDCTC, DCAP, and 45F) to help strengthen America’s child care system, benefiting working parents, our youngest learners, and helping to provide economic stability across the country.

H.R. 7360 – Promoting Affordable Childcare for Everyone (PACE) Act

Introduced by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), this bill would modernize existing provisions in the U.S. tax code to help more families afford child care, including enhancing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) and increasing the amount of pre-tax dollars families can set aside in Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts.

S.4967 – The Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2024 

This legislation would update the program to better support child care providers, increase the supply of care in communities, and foster parental choice, ensuring more working families would be able to find and afford the quality child care options that best fit their needs. 

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Visit the First Five Years Fund for more news, policy updates, and recommendations to increase federal funding for children and their families.