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On Monday, the United States House of Representatives voted to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014.  This is the primary federal grant program that provides child care assistance to families, and funds quality initiatives for child care.  The legislation includes new changes to improve program access and quality.  Some of the key changes include:

• Stronger health and safety standards for all child care programs that receive federal funding, including required annual inspections of all licensed providers, and annual fire, health and safety inspections of license-exempt, non-family providers.
• Technical assistance given to providers on effective business practices.
• De-linking provider reimbursement from absence policies that destabilize the cost of care for both families and providers.
• Extended subsidy eligibility re-determination periods (12 months).
• A new emphasis on technical assistance to providers around effective business practices.
• Increased investment in program quality, with additional activities that include wage incentives, tiered reimbursement, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, accreditation, and focus on school readiness.

Now it's on to the Senate. To watch the progress of this important legislation and to find out how you can advocate about it, go to the Early Care and Education Consortium website.

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