STATEMENT: 21st Century Child Care Investment Act Rightly Recognizes Child Care Access as an Important Economic Issue, Says CAP’s Carmel Martin

Washington, D.C. — The 21st Century Child Care Investment Act rightly recognizes access to quality, affordable child care as an important economic issue, said CAP’s Carmel Martin today in a statement. The legislation, introduced this week by Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), would allow working families to access high quality child care through monthly tax credit programs, according to Clark’s office.

Martin’s full statement is below:

Nearly two-thirds of children have both parents in the workforce, but affordable, quality child care remains a luxury—far out of reach—for many working families. While child care is an economic necessity, costs for care can exceed $10,000 annually, squeezing the family pocketbook. Rep. Katherine Clark’s bill to institute a high-quality child care tax credit recognizes access to child care as one of the most important economic issues facing families today.

Last year, CAP released a proposal that would provide a High-Quality Child Care Tax Credit to help low-income and middle-class families afford child care. The proposal would expand child care access to roughly 6 million children younger than age 5 in the United States, increasing the current service level more than fourfold while supporting financial security for working families. Read more about the proposal here.

Related resources:

• A New Vision for Child Care in the United States by Katie Hamm and Carmel Martin
• Interactive: The Hidden Cost of a Failing Child Care System by Michael Madowitz, Alex Rowell, and Katie Hamm
• The Within Reach Campaign, a project of the Center for American Progress

For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Allison Preiss at apreiss@americanprogress.org or 202.478.6331.