Warnock pushes federal funds to boost child care providers
WASHINGTON (WRDW/WAGT) - Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., introduced a bill this week to extend COVID-era federal child care stabilization funding that expired Sept. 30.
Warnock introduced the Child Care Stabilization Act with Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
The American Rescue Plan delivered federal money to save the child care sector from collapse and prevent families from losing their child care spot. — including $24 billion in funding.
The money kept 220,000 child care providers afloat.
The Child Care Stabilization Act would provide $16 billion in mandatory funding each year for the next five years to continue the successful Child Care Stabilization Grant program.
Warnock’s staff says unless action is taken to boost funding for the child care sector, families, providers and the economy will feel the consequences with fewer families able to find and afford child care.
An analysis from The Century Foundation finds that if Congress does not provide additional funding for the nation’s child care sector, more than 70,000 child care programs — one-third of those supported by stabilization funding
could close.
Read the legislation here.
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