[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E54]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           CHILD CARE CRISIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 28, 1998

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, it is a sad reality that today's headlines 
are filled with stories that spring from the everyday struggle of 
working families to secure safe and dependable child care. The 
startling reality is the daily struggle of working women and men to 
secure affordable and safe child care.
  The trends in society and the American workforce are clear. More 
families have both parents working. In today's society, many families 
need to have two parents working just to make ends meet. A 1995 study 
by the Families and Work Institute found that 55 percent of the women 
interviewed contributed half or more of their household income. Three 
out of five women with children under age 6 are working, and must find 
someone to care for their children.
  That burden is a heavy one and becomes even more burdensome when 
reliable, quality child care is not available.
  Mr. Speaker, President Clinton has correctly identified child care as 
a growing American crisis--a crisis that affects both the quality of 
our citizens' work and the quality of their lives. However, I regret 
that Mr. Clinton's broad prescription implies a centralized government 
solution to a problem that should be solved in each local community. At 
a time when this Congress is struggling to complete the task of 
balancing the budget, the President has proposed a laundry list of tax 
changes, subsidies, block grants and Washington-driven standards at a 
cost of nearly $22 billion. Some of these proposals have merit and 
deserve extended analysis and debate.
  Mr. Speaker, there is another way that is far more feasible and 
immediately affordable.
  The legislation which I am introducing, legislation that will 
encourage a new public-private partnership between local school 
districts and businesses to develop community-based solutions to meet 
local child care needs. This innovative legislative initiative will be 
in the form of grants to local education agencies that are able to show 
the community's needs and commitment to a new child care program.
  This legislation does not mandate a Federal program for child care 
that imposes some Washington-based requirements on local communities. 
In fact, this bill combines the concept of state and local control of 
education with the time-tested concept of the public-private 
partnership. This bill makes it possible for local schools and 
businesses to work together to create their own program that meets the 
needs of their own community, whatever they may be.

  Specifically, the legislation would create a competitive grant 
program, administered by the Department of Education. The program would 
provide one-time start-up grants directly to local school districts to 
explore and plan child care programs for children up to five years old. 
Schools would be required to match these grants with private funds. The 
``seed'' money could only be used for planning and implementation of 
child care programs by local school systems and private businesses, not 
for construction or building renovation.
  My legislation: (1) Creates a competitive grant program administered 
by the Department of Education; (2) provides a one-time start-up grant 
directly to school districts; (3) is available for programs providing 
care for children ages 0 to 5 (or age of compulsory school education); 
(4) expects a commitment of matching private dollars of 50% of the 
funding; (5) cannot be used for building construction or renovation.
  This is not an untested concept.
  My legislation is based on a model program, the ``Infant Toddler 
Development Center,'' which has operated successfully for more than 15 
years in my Congressional District.
  It was initiated by Kathy Marino, a teacher/principal in Ridgewood, 
New Jersey and has attracted much-deserved praise. It is the prototype 
of the grant proposal I am introducing here today.
  We need to help families solve the child care problem. And we need to 
give local communities the means to put their proposals to the test. If 
we want our children to get a head start in life, we must improve child 
care in this nation. Child care must be available and it must be 
affordable but most of all it must be of high quality, both in terms of 
safety and educational benefits.

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