Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined the Child Care is Essential Act, legislation led by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), to create a $50 billion Child Care Stabilization Fund within the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program. As businesses continue to adjust to a new normal and working families need child care, many providers across the country remain shut down or are operating with significantly reduced capacity. Child care providers that are able to stay open are struggling to cover their increased operating costs with limited revenue, and many are at risk of permanent closure. Recent estimates from the National Women’s Law Center show that it would take at least $9.6 billion per month to keep current child care providers in business.
“Access to quality, affordable child care is vital to families across the Silver State, especially as we continue our efforts to safely re-open our economy and get Nevadans back to work. I’m proud to support legislation that will help struggling local daycares and other child care providers keep their doors open and give Nevada’s working parents peace of mind.”
BACKGROUND:
The Child Care is Essential Act would create a new Child Care Stabilization Fund to provide grant funding to child care providers to stabilize the child care sector and support providers to safely reopen and operate. These grants would help child care providers and working families by:
- Ensuring that the grants adequately support providers’ operating expenses and funding gets to them quickly;
- Requiring that providers continue to pay their staff;
- Providing tuition and copayment relief for working families;
- Promoting health and safety through compliance with public health guidance;
- Prioritizing providers that serve underserved populations;
- Ensuring grants are awarded equitably across child care settings; and
- Conducting oversight through robust reporting requirements.
###