Washington, D.C. — Today, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) reintroduced the Child Care for Working Families Act to help families afford high-quality, flexible child care and to expand access to high-quality preschool programs. The bill also includes several provisions to support the child care workforce by increasing child care worker compensation to, at minimum, a living wage, if not parity with similarly credentialed elementary educators, as well as supporting training and professional development. Following the reintroduction of the bill, Jesse O’Connell, senior vice president for Education at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
For decades now, parents and child care workers have been in an untenable position. Child care is increasingly too expensive for working families, while early childhood educators are paid sub-living wages. The Child Care for Working Families Act makes important strides toward increasing the availability of child care, reducing costs for families, and ensuring child care workers are fairly compensated for the important work of guiding children through the most important years of their development. Under the Child Care for Working Families Act, no working family would pay more than 7 percent of their income on child care, and many families would receive free child care. This bold vision is what working families deserve, and it delivers the affordable, accessible child care that the U.S. economy needs.
For more information on this topic or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected].