Bill to Ensure Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Families Is a Step Forward

Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) recently introduced the Ensuring Child Care for Working Families Act of 2012 (H.R. 5188), a bill that would guarantee child care assistance for families with incomes up to 200 percent of poverty who need child care to work or attend an education or training program. The bill would eliminate the cap on federal funding for child care, and states would receive matching federal funds for every eligible family they serve.

The bill would provide tremendous help to parents with incomes at or below 200 percent of poverty who are straining to make ends meet and afford their basic needs.  These parents are trying to work to support their families and gain some financial stability. But in order to work—or attend an education or training program that will give them the knowledge and skills required for a stable job with decent pay—they need child care, which can be difficult to afford. The average cost of full-time care for one child ranges from $3,600 to $18,200 annually, depending on where the family lives, the type of care, and the age of the child.

Child care assistance can help low-income families with these costs, but just one out of six families eligible for federal child care assistance currently receives it. Many states set their income eligibility limits significantly below the level allowed under federal law (85 percent of state median income). One-third of states set their income limits to qualify for assistance at 150 percent of poverty or lower.

Even if families are eligible for child care assistance under the state’s rules, they still may not receive it. In 22 states, families who apply for child care assistance are placed on waiting lists for assistance or are turned away without having their names placed on a list. Studies of families on the waiting list show that when they are not able to receive assistance, parents frequently struggle to pay their bills, find it difficult to get or keep a job, or have no choice but to use less-than-ideal child care arrangements because better options are unaffordable.

Under the Ensuring Child Care for Working Families Act, eligible families would no longer be placed on waiting lists. Parents would get the child care assistance they need to work outside the home and their children would have safe, nurturing care that encourages their development and learning so that they are ready for school and productive futures. As a result, this bill will benefit our nation in the long run.