National Policy

The $3.5 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Can Create A Better Way Forward For Child Care

In response to passage of a $3.5 trillion budget resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, Jessica Sager, co-founder and CEO of All Our Kin, a nonprofit organization that trains, supports, and sustains family child care educators, released the following statement:


“This is a crucial step toward making a once-in-a-generation and overdue investment in our nation’s children and families. COVID-19 has exacerbated long-standing inequities in our child care system, leaving families without access to high-quality care. Lackluster investments in family child care - which provides enriching and affordable care, particularly for those in underserved communities - stifle innovation that would increase equity amid the ongoing pandemic and its impact on our economy. The budget resolution provides a framework for a meaningful investment in equitable, high-quality child care while providing the resources to support the workforce that educates and cares for our youngest learners. We will continue to work with lawmakers in the coming weeks to ensure the budget supports bold solutions that allow for a mixed delivery approach to child care that puts the needs of children and families first.”


For more information about ways to support family childcare in federal legislation, click here.

What is the American Families Plan?

This year Congress has passed three bills that offer time-limited relief to the child care sector. First came the CARES Act, which provided $3.5 billion for child care last spring. In December and March, Congress approved another $10 billion and $39 billion for child care, respectively. In addition to relief, the President and Congressional allies propose to invest roughly $700 billion in rebuilding the child care sector over the next decade. They want to build a stronger child care and early learning sector than we had before the pandemic. Here's how President Biden’s American Families Plan could be a game-changer for you.