[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5000 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5000

    To provide for child care services for families with infants or 
                   toddlers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2014

Ms. Frankel of Florida (for herself, Ms. Moore, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Brown 
 of Florida, Ms. Kaptur, Mrs. Negrete McLeod, Ms. Norton, Ms. Clark of 
  Massachusetts, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Hanabusa, Mr. Nadler, Ms. 
 Matsui, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Crowley, 
   Mr. Loebsack, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Honda, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Sablan, Mr. 
  Lowenthal, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. 
Langevin, Mr. Rush, Mr. Enyart, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Meng, 
     Ms. Titus, Mrs. Bustos, Ms. Chu, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. 
 Cicilline, Mr. Grayson, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. 
Deutch, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Brownley of California, 
Ms. Pingree of Maine, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Bass, Ms. Hahn, Ms. 
 Wilson of Florida, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr. Sean 
 Patrick Maloney of New York, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Shea-Porter, 
Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Fudge, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Esty, 
   Mr. Ellison, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Keating, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. 
   Lofgren, and Mrs. Lowey) introduced the following bill; which was 
   referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in 
    addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide for child care services for families with infants or 
                   toddlers, 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 ``Working Families Child Care Act of 
2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Child care for infants and toddlers is often difficult 
        to access or afford. Only about a third of child care centers 
        serve infants. While 70 percent of centers serve toddlers, only 
        a third of teachers report that they care for children under 
        age 3. About half of all requests to child care resource and 
        referral agencies concern care for infants and toddlers.
            (2) Child care is second only to the family as the setting 
        in which early development takes place for many infants and 
        toddlers. Sixty-one percent of mothers with children younger 
        than 3 years of age are in the labor force and over 6,000,000 
        children younger than 3 years of age are cared for by someone 
        other than their parents for some part or all of the day. 
        Therefore, the relationship between the child and the child 
        care provider often plays a significant role in child 
        development.
            (3) Dramatic brain development in a child's first 3 years 
        of life, shaped by the quality of early experiences and 
        relationships with trusted adults, builds the foundational 
        architecture for thinking, reasoning, language, emotion, and 
        self-regulation.
            (4) Early adverse experiences, such as economic hardship, 
        unstable housing, poor nutrition, abuse or neglect, or parental 
        mental health or substance abuse problems, affect brain 
        development, with effects on long-term productivity and health 
        that can last a life-time. Children with such hardships early 
        in life often experience high levels of chronic stress, which 
        can alter the brain's architecture and undermine developing 
        biological systems. Almost half of all infants and toddlers 
        live in low-income families, and 61 percent have at least one 
        risk factor for poor health or developmental outcomes.
            (5) Teachers serving infants and toddlers receive wages 
        that are 28 percent lower than those of teachers serving 3-5 
        year olds. Some difference remains even when education is taken 
        into account. The median hourly wage for a teacher with a BA 
        degree serving infants and toddlers is $11.30 compared with 
        $15.50 for teachers serving 3-5 year-olds.
            (6) Low reimbursement rates to providers make it extremely 
        challenging to offer high quality care to low-income children. 
        In 2013, just three states set their reimbursement rates at the 
        75th percentile of current market rates. Many states set their 
        rates substantially below the 75th percentile.
            (7) Research shows that high-quality child care can 
        mitigate some of the effects of adverse experiences, including 
        poverty, and that low-income children in particular can benefit 
        from high-quality child care that provides nurturing, child-
        centered teachers and a safe, predictable environment. Yet, at-
        risk children younger than 3 years of age often receive low-
        quality child care that can lead to poor developmental 
        outcomes.
            (8) High-quality child care has been shown to promote 
        positive cognitive, language, and social and emotional 
        development, and contribute to academic success. Specifically, 
        high-quality child care can also help improve a child's 
        communication skills, behavioral skills, math and language 
        assessment scores, and verbal intelligence.
            (9) Research has found strong connections between provider 
        education and training levels and child care quality, including 
        positive caregiving that can improve child outcomes. More than 
        a quarter of infant-toddler teachers have only a high school 
        education, twice the rate for teachers of preschool age 
        children. 19 percent of infant-toddler teachers have a 
        bachelor's degree compared with 45 percent of teachers of 3-5 
        year olds. Twenty-seven States have an infant-toddler 
        credential defining the particular knowledge and skills needed 
        to work with children younger than 3 years of age, but only 17 
        States require specific qualifications for infant-toddler 
        staff.
            (10) Twenty-four percent of infants and toddlers receiving 
        CCDBG subsidies are cared for in family child care homes. 
        Family child care networks that create a supportive 
        relationship with a specially trained coordinator and provide 
        on-site training and mentoring have been shown to improve the 
        quality of family child care providers.
            (11) Twenty-seven States use infant and toddler specialist 
        networks as the structure for providing training and technical 
        assistance, using research-based training and techniques such 
        as mentoring and on-site coaching, to all types of providers of 
        child care for infants or toddlers.
            (12) Infants and toddlers have unique needs that differ 
        from those of older children in areas such as health and 
        safety, interaction with teachers and caregivers, and learning, 
        yet not all States recognize those differences in their Quality 
        Rating and Improvement Systems. Just 16 States have infant and 
        toddler standards in their Quality Rating and Improvement 
        Systems.

SEC. 3. MANDATORY CHILD CARE FUNDING FOR FAMILIES WITH INFANTS OR 
              TODDLERS.

    Section 418 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 618) is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Supplemental Entitlement for Child Care Assistance for 
Families With Infants or Toddlers.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each State to which an amount is 
        required to be paid under subsection (a)(2)(C) for a fiscal 
        year shall, for the purpose of providing child care assistance 
        for families with a child who has not attained 3 years of age, 
        be entitled to payments for the fiscal year under a grant made 
        under this subsection.
            ``(2) Federal matching of state expenditures.--The amount 
        of the grant payable to a State under this subsection for a 
        fiscal year shall be the lesser of--
                    ``(A) the allotment of the State under paragraph 
                (3) for the fiscal year; or
                    ``(B) the Federal medical assistance percentage for 
                the State for the fiscal year (as defined in section 
                1905(b), as such section was in effect on September 30, 
                1995) of the total amount of the State's expenditures 
                for child care in the fiscal year not taken into 
                account under subsection (a)(2) for the fiscal year.
            ``(3) Allotments to states.--The allotment of a State under 
        this paragraph for a fiscal year shall be--
                    ``(A) the total amount available for payments to 
                States under this subsection for the fiscal year, after 
                making the reservation required by paragraph (6); 
                multiplied by
                    ``(B)(i) the number of children who have not 
                attained 3 years of age who reside in the State; 
                divided by
                    ``(ii) the total number of such children who reside 
                in all States.
            ``(4) Redistribution.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The 1st sentence of subsection 
                (a)(2)(D)(i) shall apply with respect to amounts 
                appropriated under paragraph (5) of this subsection in 
                the same manner in which that sentence applies with 
                respect to amounts appropriated under subsection 
                (a)(3). The amounts available for redistribution by 
                reason of the preceding sentence shall be redistributed 
                to a State based on the formula set forth in paragraph 
                (3)(B) of this subsection.
                    ``(B) Time of determination and distribution.--
                Subsection (a)(2)(D)(ii) shall apply with respect to 
                amounts appropriated under paragraph (5) of this 
                subsection in the same manner in which subsection 
                (a)(2)(D)(ii) applies with respect to amounts 
                appropriated under subsection (a)(3).
            ``(5) Appropriation.--For grants under this subsection, 
        there are appropriated $2,000,000,000 for each fiscal year.
            ``(6) Indian tribes.--The Secretary shall reserve not less 
        than 1 percent, and not more than 2 percent, of the aggregate 
        amount appropriated to carry out this section in each fiscal 
        year for payments to Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
            ``(7) Use of funds.--Notwithstanding subsection (c), 
        subsection (b) shall apply with respect to amounts appropriated 
        under paragraph (5) of this subsection in the same manner in 
        which subsection (b) applies with respect to amounts 
        appropriated under subsection (a)(3), except that amounts 
        received by a State under this subsection shall be used--
                    ``(A) to provide child care assistance only to 
                families described in paragraph (1) of this subsection 
                who are not otherwise receiving child care assistance 
                under this section; and
                    ``(B) to increase reimbursement rates to providers 
                of child care services to such families.''.

SEC. 4. HIGH-QUALITY INFANT AND TODDLER CHILD CARE PROGRAM.

    (a) High-Quality Infant and Toddler Care Program.--The Child Care 
and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 is amended by inserting after 
section 658G (42 U.S.C. 9858e) the following:

``SEC. 658H. HIGH-QUALITY INFANT AND TODDLER CARE PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible infant or toddler care provider.--The term 
        `eligible infant or toddler care provider' means an eligible 
        child care provider, consistent with section 658P, who provides 
        care to an infant or toddler.
            ``(2) Infant or toddler.--The term `infant or toddler' 
        means an individual under 3 years of age.
            ``(3) Infant or toddler with a developmental delay or 
        disability.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `infant or toddler with 
                a developmental delay or disability' has the meaning 
                given the term `infant or toddler with a disability' in 
                section 632 of the Individuals with Disabilities 
                Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1432).
                    ``(B) Plural form.--The term `infants and toddlers 
                with developmental delays or disabilities' means more 
                than 1 infant or toddler with a developmental delay or 
                disability.
            ``(4) Dual language learner.--The term `dual language 
        learner' means an individual who is limited English proficient 
        as defined in section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
        9832).
            ``(5) Low-income community.--The term `low-income 
        community' shall be defined by the Secretary.
            ``(6) Low-income family.--The term `low-income family' 
        means a family with a family income described in section 
        658P(4)(B).
    ``(b) Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to 
        eligible States, from allotments described in paragraph (2), to 
        enable the States to improve the quality of care for infants 
        and toddlers.
            ``(2) Allotments.--
                    ``(A) Amounts reserved.--
                            ``(i) Territories and possessions.--The 
                        Secretary shall reserve an amount not to exceed 
                        0.5 percent of the amount appropriated under 
                        this section for each fiscal year for payments 
                        to Guam, American Samoa, the United States 
                        Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 
                        Northern Mariana Islands, to be allotted in 
                        accordance with their respective needs.
                            ``(ii) Indian tribes.--The Secretary shall 
                        reserve not less than 1 percent, and not more 
                        than 2 percent, of the amount appropriated 
                        under this section for each fiscal year for 
                        payments to Indian tribes and tribal 
                        organizations with applications approved under 
                        section 658O(c).
                    ``(B) Allotments to states.--After making 
                reservations under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
                shall use the remainder of the amount appropriated 
                under this section for a fiscal year to allot to each 
                State an amount that bears the same relationship to 
                that remainder as the amount allotted to the State 
                under section 658O for that fiscal year bears to the 
                amount allotted to all States under section 658O for 
                that fiscal year.
                    ``(C) State.--In this paragraph, the term `State' 
                does not include Guam, American Samoa, the United 
                States Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the 
                Northern Mariana Islands.
    ``(c) Amendment to State Plans.--A State that receives a grant 
under this section shall include in the State's plan under section 
658E, a description of how the State will use funds provided under this 
section to improve the quality of infant and toddler care.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this 
        section shall use the funds made available through the grant to 
        carry out 1 or more of the activities described in paragraphs 
        (2) through (7).
            ``(2) Increasing high-quality infant and toddler care.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds 
                described in paragraph (1) to make grants to eligible 
                entities to be resources for eligible infant and 
                toddler care providers, to improve the quality of early 
                care and development services provided to infants and 
                toddlers in the community from low-income families and 
                to help such providers serving low-income families 
                improve their capacity to offer high-quality care to 
                such families.
                    ``(B) Eligible entity.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant under this paragraph, an entity shall be an 
                eligible child care provider that--
                            ``(i) serves infants and toddlers from low-
                        income families; and
                            ``(ii)(I) is ranked at the top level of the 
                        State's Quality Rating and Improvement System 
                        or similar rating system or accredited by a 
                        national accrediting body recognized, before 
                        the date of enactment of the Infant and Toddler 
                        Care Improvement Act, for high-quality program 
                        standards that are valid and reliable; or
                            ``(II) is an Early Head Start agency under 
                        section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        9840a) that is in full compliance with the 
                        performance standards applicable to such an 
                        agency under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 
                        et seq.).
                    ``(C) Priority.--In making grants under this 
                paragraph, a State--
                            ``(i) shall give priority to entities that 
                        will serve significant populations of low-
                        income families; and
                            ``(ii) may give priority to entities that--
                                    ``(I) are located in low-income 
                                communities;
                                    ``(II) will serve communities with 
                                significant populations of families 
                                with children who are dual language 
                                learners; or
                                    ``(III) will increase the ability 
                                of caregivers to provide appropriate 
                                services and coordinate activities with 
                                State and local systems providing 
                                services under part C of the 
                                Individuals with Disabilities Education 
                                Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) for 
                                children with developmental delays or 
                                disabilities, including such children 
                                in the child welfare system of the 
                                State.
            ``(3) Staffed family child care networks or systems.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds 
                described in paragraph (1) to make grants to 
                organizations with expertise in providing child care 
                and related technical assistance, to establish new 
                staffed family child care networks (new as of the date 
                of amendment of the State plan under subsection (c)) or 
                to operate existing staffed family child care networks 
                or systems that offer, to family child care providers 
                who are eligible infant and toddler care providers, 
                technical assistance, training, administrative support, 
                or direct services including monitoring visits to 
                providers.
                    ``(B) Priority.--In making grants under this 
                paragraph, a State--
                            ``(i) shall give priority to organizations 
                        described in paragraph (2)(C)(I); and
                            ``(ii) may give priority to organizations 
                        that have 1 or more of the 3 characteristics 
                        described in paragraph (2)(C)(ii).
            ``(4) Statewide network of infant and toddler 
        specialists.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds 
                described in paragraph (1) to support, or to make a 
                grant to an organization with expertise in providing 
                child care technical assistance to support, a statewide 
                network of specialists who are eligible infant and 
                toddler care providers, that shall--
                            ``(i) provide individual or group training 
                        and intensive consultation services to eligible 
                        infant and toddler care providers, including 
                        relative caregivers, on strategies to improve 
                        the quality of care for infants and toddlers; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) assist eligible infant and toddler 
                        care providers in coordinating activities with 
                        other offices responsible for child care, 
                        including Early Head Start programs and Head 
                        Start programs carried out under the Head Start 
                        Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.).
                    ``(B) Priority.--In delivering services or making 
                grants under this paragraph, a State--
                            ``(i) shall give priority to networks that 
                        deliver support to providers described in 
                        paragraph (2)(C)(i); and
                            ``(ii) may give priority to networks that 
                        deliver support to providers that have 1 or 
                        more of the 3 characteristics described in 
                        paragraph (2)(C)(ii).
            ``(5) State workforce quality initiatives.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State may use the funds 
                described in paragraph (1) to support initiatives to 
                improve the quality of the workforce of eligible infant 
                and toddler care providers, including activities that 
                are culturally and linguistically competent to support 
                a diverse workforce reflecting the race and ethnicity 
                of children served, such as--
                            ``(i) providing relevant training, 
                        professional development, or mentoring to 
                        eligible infant and toddler care providers, 
                        including linking the training, development, or 
                        mentoring to career pathways for eligible 
                        infant and toddler care providers;
                            ``(ii) providing scholarships or other 
                        financial support to eligible infant and 
                        toddler care providers to advance their 
                        education and training;
                            ``(iii) coordinating activities with the 
                        State's higher education system to expand the 
                        availability and quality of coursework for 
                        infant and toddler care providers, including 
                        developing career pathways for eligible infant 
                        and toddler care providers; or
                            ``(iv) improving the State credentialing of 
                        eligible infant and toddler care providers.
            ``(6) Systems quality.--A State may use the funds described 
        in paragraph (1) to--
                    ``(A) develop infant and toddler components for the 
                State's Quality Rating and Improvement System or 
                similar rating system, child care licensing 
                regulations, or voluntary early learning guidelines;
                    ``(B) improve the ability of parents to obtain 
                information about high-quality infant and toddler care; 
                or
                    ``(C) assist eligible infant and toddler care 
                providers seeking to improve the quality of their 
                infant and toddler care by increasing their ranking on 
                the State's Quality Rating and Improvement System or 
                similar rating system, meeting performance standards 
                applicable to an Early Head Start agency under the Head 
                Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), or becoming 
                accredited by a national accrediting body described in 
                paragraph (2)(B)(ii).
            ``(7) Other high-quality initiatives.--A State may use the 
        funds described in paragraph (1) to carry out other activities 
        determined by the State to improve the quality of infant and 
        toddler care provided in the State and for which there is 
        evidence that the activities will lead to improved infant and 
        toddler safety, infant and toddler development, or infant and 
        toddler well-being.
    ``(e) Reporting.--A State that receives a grant under subsection 
(b) shall submit in the State's annual reports required under section 
658K(a)(2), information on how the State is using the funding provided 
under subsection (b) to improve the quality of infant and toddler care 
and the effect such funding is having on the quality of infant and 
toddler care in the State.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $500,000,000 for fiscal year 
2015 and $500,000,000 for each subsequent fiscal year.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Authorization.--Section 658B of the Child Care and 
        Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858) is amended 
        by inserting ``(other than section 658H)'' after 
        ``subchapter''.
            (2) Allotment.--Section 658O(a)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
        9858m(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``this subchapter'' and 
        inserting ``section 658B''.
                                 <all>