Gillibrand, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Expand Working Families’ Access To Child Care

Gillibrand, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Expand Working Families' Access To Child Care

Sep 18, 2025

Legislation reauthorizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for the first time in over a decade

In New York, a family of four is eligible for child care services under CCDBG if they make less than $113,567

U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Child Care Modernization Act, which will help provide quality, affordable child care to America's working families by reauthorizing and improving the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).

"Affordable, quality child care is a necessity - not a luxury. Unfortunately, that is not the reality, especially in rural areas," said the senators. "With the Child Care Modernization Act, we will reauthorize and improve the Child Care and Development Block Grant to provide significant, positive change in child care access and quality. The CCDBG has provided working families with child care services for 30 years; we will continue to work to fund the program to ensure these changes can be implemented and continue to serve families who need child care assistance. It's time to reauthorize this important program to extend child care to more hardworking American families."

For over three decades, the CCDBG has been the primary federal program to help provide families with access to quality child care. Despite bipartisan support, the program has not been reauthorized since 2014. Senator Gillibrand is steadfastly committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to get these grants reauthorized and to secure funding for them.

The Child Care Modernization Act will:

• Strengthen child care services by moving states to use cost estimation models for setting provider rates, which will adequately compensate child care providers.
• Ensure parental choice by allowing states to develop a mixed delivery system of child care and preschool for children 0-5 and before-school, after-school, and summer care for school-age children.
• Increase child care supply by introducing a new grant program within the CCDBG framework to assist providers in creating and expanding the supply.
• Improve state child care plans by improving support for families and communities, reducing barriers to the program, and increasing access and affordability to serve more families.
• Assist in-home and rural child care providers by providing technical assistance, including strategies to support best business practices, and the development and use of shared services initiatives such as family child care home provider networks.
• Reduce duplicative regulatory burdens on child care providers by ensuring states review their state and local health and safety requirements to determine redundancies and oversights that may exist.

The bill is endorsed by Afterschool Alliance, Alliance of New York State YMCAs, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, Child Care Aware of America, Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC), Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), First Five Years Fund, Independent Restaurant Coalition, KinderCare Learning Companies (KLC), Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Low Income Investment Fund, Moms First, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), National Child Care Association, National Children's Facilities Network, Save the Children, Start Early, Tootris, and YMCA of the USA.

"Access to affordable, reliable child care is one of the biggest challenges facing working families. The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is a vital part of facing that challenge head on. We're grateful to Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Susan Collins (R-ME) for their bipartisan leadership in introducing the Child Care Modernization Act. This legislation offers an important opportunity to strengthen and sustain CCDBG while also addressing child care needs in real time. This will help serve more families both now and in the future," said First Five Years Fund Executive Director Sarah Rittling.

"BPC Action is proud to endorse the Child Care Modernization Act, which reauthorizes and modernizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). CCDBG has long been a bipartisan program that delivers for families, and this legislation strengthens that legacy by helping parents better access affordable, high-quality care while supporting the workforce that provides it. Child care is essential economic infrastructure for working families, and we commend Sens. Fischer (R-NE) and Gillibrand (D-NY) for their bipartisan leadership in advancing solutions that strengthen children, families, and the economy," said Michele Stockwell, president of Bipartisan Policy Center Action.

"For decades, America has treated child care like a personal problem instead of what it really is, an economic imperative. That's why it matters that Senators Fischer and Gillibrand are reaching across the aisle with the Child Care Modernization Act. Families everywhere are drowning in child care costs, and businesses are losing talent because parents can't find or afford care. No parent should have to choose between feeding their babies and funding their daycare. This bill takes a critical step by funding the supply of child care we desperately need. This is what real pro-family policy looks like," said Reshma Saujani, CEO of Moms First.

"Facilities are an essential program feature often omitted from the discussions about increasing access to affordable, quality care. This legislation is particularly impactful because it incorporates resources for states to address facilities obstacles that inhibit the ability child care operators to provide affordable, quality care. Many child care providers lack the ability to address facilities needs because razor-thin operating margins, unpredictable operating streams, and lack of consistent and effective capital subsidies make it difficult to access to mainstream financial products. This bill will make it possible to better serve children, families, child care professionals and local communities." - Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

"The Low Income Investment Fund applauds Senators Gillibrand (D-NY) and Fischer (R-NE) for their bipartisan leadership in addressing the needs of families, child care providers, and communities through the Child Care Modernization Act," said Dan Nissenbaum, CEO of the Low Income Investment Fund. "By recognizing the critical importance of federal investment in child care facilities, this legislation will help modernize infrastructure, strengthen quality, and ensure the health and safety of our nation's children while helping expand our workforce."

"The Child Care Modernization Act, if funded sufficiently, offers a meaningful opportunity to improve the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Because the bill would invest in the early childhood education workforce, improve how educators are paid, and build the supply of quality child care, NAEYC endorses this legislation, and is particularly appreciative of the bipartisan leadership of Senators Fischer, Gillibrand, Collins, and Hickenlooper to call for the funding necessary to implement it. We look forward to working with these offices and other leaders in Congress to continue to increase support and investment for policies that improve access to a quality child care system that works for children, families, educators, and our economy," said Daniel Hains Chief Policy & Professional Advancement Officer of NAEYC.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

###