Shaheen, Ernst Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Create First-of-its-Kind Program to Make Child Care More Accessible for Military Families

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Joni Ernst (R-IA),senior members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, are introducing bipartisan legislation to respond to the shortage of child care availability across the country, particularly for military families. The Senators’ bill proposes a first-of-its-kind Department of Defense-led pilot program to support workforce development opportunities for child care providers and to add capacity to the child care sector by increasing recruitment, retention and training of child care staff.
“Too many parents are put in difficult situations when they don’t have access to the quality, affordable care they need for their kids—a problem that is especially acute for military families who face even higher barriers to finding child care,”said Senator Shaheen.“That’s why I’m proud to join with my colleague, Senator Ernst, to introduce bipartisan legislation that would create a first-of-its-kind Department of Defense-led pilot program to strengthen workforce development opportunities for providers with the goal of increasing the amount of available child care slots in a local communities.”
“As a mom and a grandma, I know how important our next generation is, and our military servicemembers deserve high-quality, affordable child care,”said Senator Ernst. “TheExpanding Child Care for Military Families Actwill bolster the Department of Defense’s partnership with local organizations to provide care and education for military kids while their parents train and prepare to protect our great nation.”
Specifically, theExpanding Child Care for Military Families Actwould:
Senator Shaheen has been a leader in advocating for more affordable and accessible child care, including by delivering more than $77 million to New Hampshire through theAmerican Rescue Planand other COVID relief laws to the Granite State. Since then, Shaheen hadurged state and local officialsto distribute those federal funds, especially in communities that lack access to child care. Shaheen recently helped introduced theChild and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Actwhich would permanently expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). She also introduced theChild Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act—bipartisan, bicameral legislation that together form a bold proposal to make child care more affordable and accessible by strengthening existing tax credits to lower child care costs and increase the supply of child care providers. The bill includes language from Shaheen’sRight Start Child Care and Education Actlegislation. In April, Shaheen visited the YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Merrimack Branch to highlight the Granite State’s shortage of child care providers and to discuss her recent legislative efforts to address the child care affordability crisis.
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