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Bipartisan Advocacy Achieving Results for Children And Families

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CHILD CARE AND THE 119TH CONGRESS

A child’s first five years are a critical time for their development and growth. Parents strive to provide the best care for their little ones and, for millions of families juggling work and family responsibilities, access to quality, affordable child care is essential. Affordable, quality child care is also crucial for businesses, especially as they struggle to recruit and retain employees.

Ensuring that parents have options for affordable, quality child care is pro-child, pro-family, and pro-work. The 119th Congress has the opportunity to prioritize meaningful policy solutions which would benefit our children, our families, and our country.

In A Nutshell

  • 73 national and state organizations have sent a letter to President-Elect Trump and Members of the 119th Congress urging them to continue supporting the fundamental needs of America’s children, families, employers, and child care providers by prioritizing child care and early learning. 
  • This follows a strong showing of support for child care in the last election, when the vast majority of voters (89%) said it was important for elected leaders to have a plan for child care in including 80% of Republicans, 88% of Independents, and 98% of Democrats. 

Strengthening Trusted Federal Programs

Existing federal programs provide the foundation for child care in this nation and should be strengthened to better meet the needs of families today.

Modernizing Tax Incentives for Parents and Employers:

Child care-related provisions in the federal tax code promote parental choice, ensuring parents are able to claim a credit for the type of care that best fits their family’s individual needs, whether it be center-based, faith-based, or home-based child care. These credits also provide incentives to employers who are looking to be responsive to the needs of their own workforce by helping to offset child care costs and grow supply in communities. 

Overview of Tax Provisions

  • These one-pagers provide a deep dive into three primary provisions, including: CDCTC, 45F, and DCAP.
  • This side-by-side explainer compares the tax provisions and shows how they work together.

Letters of Support

  • December 2024: Letter to President-Elect Trump, Senate Finance Committee, House Ways & Means Committees, and House and Senate Leadership signed by 127 organizations and businesses including national and from 40 states and territories.
  • August 2024: Letter to House Ways and Means Committee Tax Teams from more than 150 organizations, Chambers of Commerce and businesses.
  • And more.

Building on Current Momentum:

Significant momentum exists towards tackling specific child care challenges, including expanding after-hours care, addressing the needs of rural communities, investing in training and early education apprenticeship programs, and improving the condition, quality and availability of facilities. Addressing these unique challenges would help working families find and afford quality child care so they can work and go to school, build the supply of child care providers, and increase the availability of quality child care across settings.

  • Here is a list of legislation from the “118th Congress” highlighting multiple child care proposals from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats.

Actions

Stay Informed

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