A New Federal Office for Child Care

In a move demonstrating a recognition of the importance of expanding access to high-quality child care for low-income families, the Child Care Bureau  has just been elevated to an Office within the Administration for Children and Families. Under the Bush Administration, a separate Child Care Bureau had been eliminated and instead placed within an office also responsible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). In doing so, the Administration placed the emphasis on child care’s role in helping families move off welfare, and diminished the focus on child care's role in helping parents work so they can avoid turning to welfare and in encouraging children's early learning. More than just a bureaucratic shift, the recent change establishes a clearer place within the federal government for supporting child care that helps children and families.

While the creation of a distinct Office of Child Care within the Administration for Children and Families is a positive step forward, it is not sufficient for improving the quality of care and making it more affordable for low-income families. Achieving those goals will require additional resources. The House and Senate appropriations bills for FY 2011 increased funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). However, Congress failed to pass a final budget and appropriations measure for FY 2011, which began October 1st, before adjourning for recess. Instead, Congress passed a continuing resolution, lasting until December, which will keep funding for government programs at existing levels.

Without additional funding for child care, particularly at a time when states' and families' budgets are squeezed, thousands of parents could lose the child care assistance that allows them to work knowing that their children are in safe and stable child care arrangements. In addition, many child care programs will be at risk of laying off staff or closing their doors altogether.

As child care gains a more prominent place on the federal map with the establishment of the Office of Child Care, let us hope that child care is on the congressional map as well. Congress has an opportunity to make the necessary investment in child care as part of its final FY 2011 budget and appropriations measure when it returns for a "lame duck" session following the election. We cannot afford to cut corners and save dollars when considering our nation's youngest and most vulnerable.