Sponsors (2)
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Creates a federal grant and program package to expand free, high-quality infant and toddler child care for student parents at public community colleges and minority‑serving institutions, build the early childhood workforce, and support on‑campus child care capacity and partnerships. Authorizes $9.0 billion for FY2026–FY2030 across planning, access, impact, and pipeline grants; changes federal matching rules in CCDBG to reward States that pay higher infant/toddler rates; and requires updated federal outreach about dependent care allowances in student aid materials.
The bill would expand and improve on‑campus infant/toddler care, workforce pay and training, and targeted support for low‑income student‑parents, but it does so with substantial federal spending, new administrative and provider cost pressures, and tradeoffs that may leave some states, providers, or non‑Pell families with limited benefits.
Student parents (particularly at community colleges and minority-serving institutions, including ~5.4M students with children) gain access to free or expanded on‑campus infant/toddler care, reducing child care barriers to enrollment and degree completion.
Infants, toddlers, and the early childhood workforce benefit from grants, microgrants, training, apprenticeships, and lab‑school practicum expansions that increase the supply and quality of infant/toddler care providers.
Early childhood staff receive higher, living‑wage–aligned compensation (tied to State elementary educator pay), improving pay and retention for child care workers.
Taxpayers and the federal budget face a substantial increase in spending (the bill authorizes $9 billion), raising fiscal concerns and tradeoffs with other budget priorities.
Colleges, community providers, and state agencies face increased administrative and compliance burdens (complex applications, licensing, background checks, reporting, FERPA‑aligned anonymization and data cross‑tabulations), increasing costs and potentially limiting participation.
Requiring centers to pay wages comparable to elementary educators and meet other operating standards will raise operating costs, which could reduce the number of available slots or strain small providers.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Jahana Hayes · Last progress April 10, 2025