Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today joined Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) in introducing the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would ensure families can afford high-quality early learning and child care opportunities.

“It is our nation’s responsibility to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed, no matter where they live or how much their family makes, and that starts with high-quality child care and early learning. Access to quality child care has been shown to benefit not only parents, but also their kids, who are more likely to have better educational outcomes and higher job earnings,” DelBene said. “Unfortunately, I often hear from families in my district who struggle with the cost of child care — some even deciding to leave the workforce because they can no longer afford it. This disadvantage for working families is unfair and wrong. The Child Care for Working Families Act will help address this problem, improve the quality of child care and prepare our children to be ready for school on day one. I’m honored to be an original cosponsor of Sen. Murray’s important legislation.”

The Child Care for Working Families Act would ensure no family is forced to pay more than 7 percent of their income on child care, if they make less than 150 percent of their state’s median income. The bill also establishes a federal-state partnership to increase access to preschool, while boosting incomes and training for the child care and early learning workforce.

The bill has been endorsed by a broad array of national, state and local organizations, including: Child Care Aware of Washington, Children's Home Society of Washington, the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP, the League of Education Voters, OneAmerica, Schools Out Washington and YMCA of Greater Seattle.

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