Sponsor
Marilyn Strickland
Representative · D-WA
Adds $850M/year (2027–2031) to CCDBG funding and narrows the CCDBG "eligible child" definition by removing the protective-services alternative.
Representative · D-WA
The bill expands and stabilizes federal child care funding—improving access and quality for many families—while narrowing eligibility for some children in protective services and increasing federal spending with potential state-level uncertainty if appropriations differ from the authorization.
Low-income parents and families gain increased access to subsidized child care because Congress authorizes $850 million per year for FY2027–2031, enabling states to serve more children and improve early childhood services and giving states predictable federal funding to plan expansions.
Children whose parents are working or attending job training/education remain eligible for child care support, preserving assistance that helps parents stay in the workforce or complete training.
Children receiving or needing protective services could lose eligibility under the removed alternative clause, reducing access to care for vulnerable children and shifting administrative burdens and costs to states and families, which may force some parents to cut work or training.
If actual appropriations differ from the authorized increases, planned expansion and quality improvements may be delayed or uneven across states, creating uncertainty for providers and families.
Taxpayers bear higher federal spending—about $4.25 billion over five years—to fund the authorized increase in child care subsidies.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Provides five years of additional federal funding—$850 million per year for fiscal years 2027–2031—to carry out the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program. At the same time, it narrows the federal statutory definition of an "eligible child" by removing the alternative clause that covered children receiving or needing protective services, limiting eligibility to children who live with parents who are working or attending job training or education programs. The bill therefore increases dedicated federal resources for child care while tightening who qualifies under the specific parental-activity definition in the CCDBG statute, which could exclude some children involved with protective services from that eligibility category.
Official title: To clarify the eligibility of certain student populations for child care assistance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990.
Introduced April 29, 2026 by Marilyn Strickland · Last progress April 29, 2026