The top House and Senate Democrats for education have reintroduced previous legislation to boost child-care and early-learning services鈥攁nd several Democrats seeking the presidency next year have signed on in support.
On Tuesday, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., unveiled the Child Care for Working Families Act, which is designed to both expand access to and improve the quality of child-care as well as early-learning programs. . This new bill is very similar.
According to , the bill would, among other things:
- Provide for cost-sharing between the federal government and states to provide high-quality, affordable child care from birth through age 13.
- More than double the number of children eligible for child care assistance, and ensure all those who are eligible have the ability to enroll their child in a quality program.
- Provide incentives and funding for states to create high-quality preschool programs for low and moderate-income 3- and 4-year-olds during the school day, while providing a higher matching rate for programs for infants and toddlers, who are often harder and more expensive to care for.
- Increase workforce training and compensation, including by ensuring that all child care workers are paid at least a living wage and parity with elementary school teachers if they have similar credentials and experience.
鈥淭his bill is big, and it鈥檚 bold,鈥� Murray said in a press conference Tuesday. The proposals in the bill will 鈥渏ump-start the economy,鈥� she added.
What鈥檚 also notable about the legislation is that all of the Democratic senators who have declared their intention to seek the party鈥檚 presidential nomination in 2020 have signed on as co-sponsors: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D- N.Y., Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. (Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, is also backing the legislation.)
Child care and other costs associated with raising young children could take up a big share of the spotlight in the Democratic primary, while elementary and secondary education may recede somewhat by comparison.
. Under Warren鈥檚 legislation, families earning below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $51,000 for a family of four, could access these programs at no cost.
The proposal has more than 100 co-sponsors combined in the House and Senate.
Image: Screen capture of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., introducing the Child Care for Working Families Act at a press conference on Feb. 26, 2019.