Senator Hassan Reintroduces Bill to Improve Child Care Access for Working Families

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Todd Young (R-IN) to improve access to affordable child care for parents working nontraditional hours. The After Hours Child Care Act would help child care providers expand operating hours and build partnerships with businesses, so that parents can remain in the workforce and provide for their families while working outside of the traditional work hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Congressman Chris Pappas helps lead companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"At a time when many families are struggling with high costs, we need to do more to help parents find and afford child care so that they can work and support their families, including when their jobs require early mornings, late nights, or weekend shifts," said Senator Hassan. "This commonsense, bipartisan bill will help families across New Hampshire and the country access affordable child care that works with their schedules."

"There are many successful child care models that could work for New Hampshire families, and we must expand affordable child care options to meet the needs of parents working all types of jobs and hours," said Congressman Pappas. "This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would expand existing programs and encourage the establishment of new ones, supporting working parents and strengthening our workforce and economy."

In communities across America, major industries such as health care, advanced manufacturing, and logistics rely on workers for early morning or late-night shifts, as well as weekend availability. The After Hours Child Care Act would help fill these high-demand roles by removing barriers created by a lack of child care accessibility, especially in rural communities.

If enacted, the After Hours Child Care Act would:

• Expand capacity for an existing child care program to serve families working nontraditional hours
• Support efforts to establish an on-site child care program at a workplace
• Ensure that federal funds supplement current efforts by requiring a 25 percent match
• Require a report every two years on the bill's effectiveness in improving child care availability

Senator Hassan continues to advocate for more help for hardworking families across New Hampshire and throughout the country. As part of government funding legislation that was recently signed into law, she secured increased funding for programs such as the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start, which help families afford child care. Senator Hassan also introducedbipartisan legislation to ensure that married couples employed by the same employer are no longer unfairly limited in the amount of earned family and medical leave that they can take, and legislation that would provide a tax cut to 3.5 million working families with children by allowing them to begin receiving the Child Tax Credit starting with the first dollar they earn.

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