In May 2013, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) issued new proposed regulations governing the federal child care assistance program, and in June, Senators Mikulski (D-MD), Burr (R-NC), Harkin (D-IA), Alexander (R-TN), and Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced a bill to reauthorize the program (S. 1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2013). Both the reauthorization bill and the proposed regulations would make changes to current child care policies, particularly as they relate to the health and safety of children and the quality of child care programs.
The chart below compares current law governing the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) with provisions of the reauthorization bill and proposed regulations that would make changes in the following areas:
- CCDBG Purposes & General Administration
- Consumer Education and Provider Compliance with Health & Safety Standards (including criminal background checks)
- Child Care Program Standards and Quality Improvement Activities
- Family-Friendly Policies
- Payment Rates and Practices
While the reauthorization bill and the proposed regulations address many similar issues, the specific approaches used are often different because the bill would change existing law, while the regulations are limited to implementing current law.
The reauthorization bill is currently pending in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the Senate. The proposed regulations are open for public comment until August 5, 2013; to learn more about the regulations and how to submit comments, see our fact sheet and the website for ACF’s Office of Child Care.
