September 15, 2017

Duckworth Helps Introduce Legislation to Ensure Families Have Access to Affordable, Quality Child Care

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to help ensure low- and middle-income American families have access to affordable and high-quality child care. Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) have introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

"For most working parents, affordable child care isn't a luxury - it's a necessity," said Duckworth. "No parent should have to choose between sending their kids to daycare during the day and putting food on the table at night. That's why this legislation is so important - it helps ensure that hardworking Americans have access to the child care they need to raise strong and healthy families."

The Child Care for Working Families Act would create a partnership between federal and state governments to ensure families making less than 150 percent of their state's median income do not spend more than seven percent of their income on child care services. This legislation also helps parents access high-quality preschool programs for low- and middle-income 3- and 4-year olds, in addition to improving access to resources and training for teachers and caregivers.

Other cosponsors in the Senate include U.S. Senators Hirono (D-HI), Franken (D-MN), Schumer (D-NY), Leahy (D-VT), Feinstein (D-CA), Wyden (D-OR), Durbin (D-IL), Menendez (D-NJ), Klobuchar (D-MN), Merkley (D-OR), Gillibrand (D-NY), Blumenthal (D-CT), Baldwin (D-WI), Murphy (D-CT), Heinrich (D-NM), Warren (D-MA), Markey (D-MA), Booker (D-NJ), Van Hollen (D-MD), Hassan (D-NH), Harris (D-CA), Reed (D-RI), Udall (D-NM), and Brown (D-OH). The Scott-Polis House companion legislation is cosponsored by 57 U.S. Representatives.

Duckworth has made working for children and families a top priority in the Senate. Earlier this year, she also introduced the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) Reauthorization Act to help increase access to on-campus child care for student parents, who make up more than one quarter of all college students in America.

Over 100 Organizations have endorsed the Child Care for Working Families Act: Organizations Supporting the Child Care for Working Families Act AASA: The School Superintendents Association, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, American Federation of Teachers, ASCD, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Center for American Progress, Caring Across Generations, Center for Community Change Action, Center for Frontline Retail, Child Care Aware® of America, Child Care Law Center, Child Welfare League of America, Children's Defense Fund, Children's Leadership Council (CLC), CLASP, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Committee for Children, Common Sense Media, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Education Task Force, Council for Exceptional Children, Council of Administrators of Special Education, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Democrats for Education Reform, Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC), Easterseals, Economic Opportunity Institute, Every Child Matters, Family Focused Treatment Association, Family Values at Work, First Five Years Fund, First Focus Campaign for Children, IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association, International Literacy Association, Learning Disabilities Association of America, Make it Work Campaign, MomsRising, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association for Family Child Care, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, National Black Child Development Institute, National Center for Families Learning, National Council of Jewish Women, National Council of Teachers of English, National Disability Rights Network, National Education Association, National Indian Head Start Directors Association, National Organization for Women, National PTA, National Writing Project, National Council on Learning Disabilities, National Women's Law Center, Parents as Teachers, People's Action, RESULTS: The Power to End Poverty, Save the Children, Schoolhouse Connection, Social Work Association of America, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Teach Plus, The Arc of the United States, The Education Trust, ZERO TO THREE, California Association for the Education of Young Children, Child Care Aware of Washington, Children's Alliance (WA), Children's Home Society of Washington, First 5 Association of California, First 5 California, First 5 LA, League of Education Voters (WA), Maine Association for the Education of Young Children, Maryland Working Families, Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children, Missouri Association for the Education of Young Children, New York State Association for the Education of Young Children, Northern Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children, Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children, OneAmerica (WA), Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children, Puerto Rico Association for the Education of Young Children, Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children, Schools Out Washington, Strategies for Children (MA), The YMCA of Greater Seattle (WA), Utah Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP, Wellspring Family Services (WA), and the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association.