S AMDT 1000

S 1000 IS

To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to improve access to high-quality early learning and child care for low-income children and working families, and for other purposes.

May 7, 2009

Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mrs. LINCOLN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to improve access to high-quality early learning and child care for low-income children and working families, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Starting Early Starting Right Act’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Children in child care learn and develop skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Child care is also fundamental to helping families get ahead by giving parents the support and peace of mind they need to be productive at work.

(2) Child care teachers and providers carry the responsibility of providing a safe, nurturing, and stimulating setting for children entrusted to them each day.

(3) In 2006, the average wage for a child care worker was $9.05 per hour or $18,820 annually. For full-time, full-year work this is only slightly above the 2006 poverty guidelines of $16,600 for a mother with 2 children.

(4) As a result of low wages and limited benefits, many child care providers do not work for long periods in the child care field. Only 65 percent of those employed in the child care field in 2005 were still working in child care in 2006. Such high turnover rates deny children consistent and stable relationships with their teachers.

(5) Current reimbursement rates for child care providers receiving Federal funds are insufficient to recruit and retain qualified child care providers and to ensure high-quality early care and education services for children.

(6) Research shows that high-quality child care helps low-income children enter school ready to succeed. One study found that children who had enrolled in high-quality child care demonstrated greater mathematical ability and thinking and attention skills, and experienced fewer behavior problems than other children in second grade. Effects were particularly strong for low-income children.

(7) Millions of low-income children could benefit from high-quality child care. In 2007, 10,500,000 children under age 6 (43 percent) lived in low-income families (families with incomes below 200 percent of poverty).

(8) Inadequate funding has reduced the number of children with access to child care. Only about 1 in 7 eligible children receives Federal child care assistance.

(9) Many women work in low-wage jobs and cannot cover the cost of child care. For example, two-thirds of working poor families headed by single mothers who paid for child care spent at least 40 percent of their cash income on child care.

(10) Problems with child care can make it difficult for parents, particularly low-income parents, to work, causing them to lose wages, be denied a promotion, or lose their jobs.

(11) Research shows that single mothers and former welfare recipients who received child care assistance were much more likely to remain employed after 2 years than those who did not receive child care assistance.

(b) Purpose- The purpose of this Act is to improve--

(1) access to high-quality early learning and child care for low-income children and working families; and

(2) the quality of child care and the number of high-quality child care providers.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ACT OF 1990.

(a) Authorization of Appropriations- Section 658B of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858) is amended by striking ‘subchapter’ and all that follows and inserting ‘subchapter $4,127,181,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2014.’.

(b) Application and Plan- Section 658E(c) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (2)--

(A) in subparagraph (E)--

(i) redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); and

(ii) by inserting after clause (i), the following:

‘(ii) SITE VISITS- Certify that the State has in effect licensing requirements applicable to child care providers within the State that include one annual announced and one annual unannounced visit to each site at which the provider provides child care services. Nothing in the preceding sentence shall be construed to require that licensing requirements be applied to specific types of providers of child care services.

‘(iii) TRAINING- Certify that the State has in effect licensing or registration requirements applicable to child care providers within the State that require, within 3 years of the date of enactment of the Starting Early Starting Right Act, that every lead teacher or aide of the provider, and each family child care provider--

‘(I) have at least 40 hours of appropriate health, safety, and child development training prior to their employment with or operation as a provider (as determined in accordance with guidelines to be issued by the Secretary); and

‘(II) have at least 24 hours of annual training in appropriate health, safety, and child development training (as determined in accordance with guidelines to be issued by the Secretary).

‘(iv) OTHER TRAINING- Certify that the State has a plan to implement, within 3 years of the date of enactment of the Starting Early Starting Right Act, pre- and in-service training requirements applicable to child care providers that provide services for which assistance is made available under this subchapter.

‘(v) TRAINING FOR LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP) PROVIDERS- Certify that the State has a plan to provide for the training of child care service providers with limited-English-proficiency to provide high-quality child care services.’;

(B) in subparagraph (H)--

(i) by striking ‘Demonstrate the manner’ and inserting the following:

‘(i) IN GENERAL- Demonstrate the manner’; and

(ii) by adding at the end the following:

‘(iii) SPECIFIC NEEDS- Demonstrate the manner in which the State will meet the specific child care needs of low-income and working families, including--

‘(I) the outreach strategies to be used to reach hard-to-serve children, including low-income children, English language learners, children with special needs, and children in rural areas;

‘(II) the use of contracts with child care centers, family child care homes, and organizations that manage and support family child care networks to reach hard-to-serve children and underserved communities;

‘(III) the use of pilot or demonstration projects to increase the supply of high-quality child care in underserved communities;

‘(IV) the use of pilot or demonstration projects that demonstrate effective techniques and approaches of specialized training for child care service providers with limited-English-proficiency to improve their ability to provide high-quality child care services; and

‘(V) the use of pilot or demonstration projects that demonstrate effective techniques and approaches of specialized training for child care providers working with children with developmental disabilities.’; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

‘(I) CONTINUOUS CARE- Demonstrate how the State is implementing practices and procedures to help ensure that children receive continuous care from the same provider, including through--

‘(i) the use of contracts with child care centers, family child care homes, and organizations that manage and support family child care networks for underserved populations;

‘(ii) extending periods of redetermination for all families to 1 year;

‘(iii) extending periods of job search eligibility; and

‘(iv) informing families and providers that eligibility is ending in a timely manner and in multiple formats.’; and

(2) in paragraph (4)--

(A) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (D); and

(B) by inserting after subparagraph (A), the following:

‘(B) IN GENERAL- The State plan shall provide information demonstrating that the State is ensuring that payment rates for the provision of child care services for which assistance is provided under this subchapter are equal to or exceed the 75th percentile of the current market rate for all types of child care, based on a research-based market rate survey that includes variations for geography, age of children, and provider type.

‘(C) CHILD CARE FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS- The State plan shall describe efforts to address the need for child care for special populations, including care in low-income and rural areas, care for infants and toddlers, care for children with special needs, care for other populations, and care during nonstandard hours, such as paying rates for the provision of child care services for which assistance is provided under this subchapter that exceed the 75th percentile of a current market rate for all types of care (based on the survey under subparagraph (B).’.

(c) Activities To Improve the Quality of Child Care- Section 658G of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858e) is amended to read as follows:

‘SEC. 658G. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE.

Full Text of Legislation