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BPC Applauds Rep. Owens and Rep. Hinson for Introduction of CCDBG Reauthorization Act

Washington, DC – The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Early Childhood Initiative applauds Representative Burgess Owens (R-UT) and Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA) for the introduction of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2022.

Child care has always garnered bipartisan support, which has produced meaningful change in access to and quality of care. BPC is encouraged by the introduction of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2022, which builds upon a successful existing program to assist states with improving their child care systems, develop innovative solutions to address workforce recruitment and retention needs, and address the rapidly deteriorating state of facilities and lack of supply.

Reps. Owens and Hinson’s bill allows the state flexibility to serve eligible families up to 150% of state median income (SMI), prioritizing families at 85% SMI. This bill also requires state plans to establish a sliding fee scale to ensure family copays are not a barrier to access. The bill further calls for all state plans to include a cost estimation model, which is a vital tool to states when used in conjunction with the market rate survey. Cost modeling can help states understand the true cost to providing quality child care, the impact of their policy decisions, and how to prioritize interventions that strengthen the child care market given the limited investments available to them.

With the introduction of Reps. Owens and Hinson’s bill, BPC encourages Congress to use this as an opportunity for broad, transparent, and bipartisan dialogue on the needs of the sector and the reforms essential to stabilizing child care and the nation’s workforce.

To learn more on cost modeling as a business tool to properly calculate the true cost of quality child care and bolster the supply of child care read “Using Cost Modeling to Design New Solutions for Child Care” and join BPC on December 5, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Register at: Cost Modeling Analysis & the Market Rate Survey: Why Child Care Needs Both.

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