Sponsors (4)
The bill improves accountability by tying payments to documented attendance and gives states flexibility to align payments with service delivery, but it shifts financial timing and administrative burdens onto providers—risking cash-flow, lost revenue when children are absent, and higher compliance costs that could threaten provider stability and access to care.
Parents and children: subsidy payments will be tied to actual attendance, helping ensure funds support real childcare use and reducing fraudulent or duplicate payments.
State and local lead agencies: clearer authority and flexibility to pay providers after services are delivered gives states better alignment of payments with service delivery and stronger fiscal control.
Childcare providers who document attendance: can have payments more closely tied to documented services, improving accountability and program integrity for providers that comply.
Small childcare providers: may face cash-flow problems if states delay payment until after services are provided, increasing financial strain and risk of business instability.
Providers and families: switching from enrollment-based to attendance-based payment can reduce provider revenue when children are absent (including for justified absences), threatening provider financial viability and potentially reducing available slots.
Providers and state agencies: tracking and verifying attendance increases administrative and compliance burdens, raising costs and diverting time from care provision.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires lead agencies to pay child care providers based on verified attendance (not enrollment) and clarifies agencies may pay before or after services.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Rafael Edward Cruz · Last progress February 12, 2026
Requires lead agencies that administer Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds to pay child care providers based on verified attendance (using attendance records or another reasonable verification method) rather than on enrollment alone. Also clarifies that lead agencies are not required to make payments before services are provided and may choose to make payments after services are provided.