H.R.1364: Child Care for Working Families Act

The Child Care for Working Families Act would ensure parents have access to high-quality, affordable child care options, including preschool, and ensure teachers are paid at least a living wage so they can support themselves and their families. Under this bill, a family earning under 150 percent of a state’s median income would pay no more than seven percent of their income on child care. This methodology would be adjusted on a sliding income scale downward with families earning 75 percent of a state’s median income having their childcare fully subsidized.

Additionally, the bill would:
1) Provide for cost-sharing between the Federal government and States to provide high-quality, affordable child care from birth through age 13.
2) More than double the number of children eligible for child care assistance, and ensure all those
who are eligible have the ability to enroll their child in a quality program.
3) Provide incentives and funding for states to create high-quality preschool programs for low and moderate-income 3- and 4-year olds during the school day, while providing a higher matching rate for programs for infants and toddlers, who are often harder and more expensive to care for.
4) Increase workforce training and compensation, including by ensuring that all child care workers
are paid at least a living wage and parity with elementary school teachers if they have similar
credentials and experience.
5) Improve care in a variety of settings, including addressing the needs of family, friend, and neighbor care and care during non-traditional hours to help meet the needs of working families.
6) Build more inclusive, high-quality child care providers for children with disabilities, and infants and toddlers with disabilities, including by increasing funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
7) Help all Head Start programs meet the newly expanded duration requirements and provide full-day, full-year programming.

S. 568 is the Senate companion bill introduced by Sen. Patty Murray.

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