[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 42 (Thursday, March 13, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1601-S1602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, across the country every day millions of 
Americans are working in low-wage jobs, going back to school to 
increase their skills in order to pay their bills and take care of 
their families. They do their best to balance work and family 
obligations, but too many moms and dads really struggle with the high 
cost of quality, safe childcare.
  One out of three families with young children earns less than $25,000 
a year, and childcare can cost $4,800 to $16,000 a year. In many parts 
of the country childcare for two children now exceeds average rental 
payments.
  According to a recent report by Child Care Aware America, in more 
than half the States--including my own State of Illinois--it costs 
families more to put an infant in childcare than to cover tuition and 
fees in a public college. In many parts of the country, childcare for 
children now exceeds average rental payments. Low-income families spend 
almost half their salaries on childcare. It is a significant part of 
the family's budget. Child care and development block grant is an 
important program that helps low-income working families with the cost 
of childcare and afterschool programs. This program serves more than 
1.6 million children in the United States every month. In Illinois, 
more than 50,000 children receive support.

  As we learn more about the significance of the first few years in the 
life of a child's development, it is not enough just to improve access; 
we have to improve the quality of childcare for young children. 
Children in their early years are facing some of the most important 
moments of development, and their experiences in the first few years 
could literally shape their young lives. Early childhood education 
gives kids the solid foundation they need, not just to kindergarten but 
beyond. Working parents who don't have good options for quality 
childcare face an unfair dilemma.
  Just ask Tabatha Okamoto of Chicago, IL. Tabatha has faced the 
challenge of finding adequate childcare for her son since he was an 
infant. On days when she cannot find a spot in a childcare center she 
hopes that maybe a family member or maybe a neighbor will be able to 
take care of him. She worries about losing her job, and she was almost 
fired because there were so many days she was late because of childcare 
issues.
  Even when she finds reliable childcare, she still has a tough time 
figuring out how to pay for it. Tabatha is a good mom, but she has a 
lot of expenses and a low-income job. She pays her rent, health 
insurance, and other bills and $800 monthly for her son to attend 
Little Fox Day School in Lincoln Square Center. It would be too much 
for her to handle on her own. Because of this program being debated on 
the floor of the Senate, Tabatha's out-of-pocket costs are now between 
$250 and $375 a month for this daycare at Little Fox Day School. It is 
less than half. It is still a sacrifice to come up with $250 to $400 a 
month, but at least she has a fighting chance to make sure her son has 
good daycare. More importantly, this program is giving Tabatha the 
peace of mind to know her son is in the right place when she goes to 
work every day.
  It has been more than 20 years since we started this block grant. We 
need to update it. The grant program before us on the floor today, the 
child care and development block grant, would make much-needed updates 
to the law, expanding access to toddlers and infants and lower income 
families, strengthening health and safety standards and training, and 
ensuring the program is meeting the needs of children with 
disabilities, and expanding background checks for childcare providers.
  I want to thank Senators Barbara Mikulski and Tom Harkin, who have 
been champions of children and working Americans, for all the work they 
put into this bill. I want to thank Senator Richard Burr on the other 
side of the aisle and Lamar Alexander as well for making this a true 
bipartisan effort.
  I hope my colleagues will join me today when this bill comes up for a 
vote. This is the kind of bipartisan bill we all should support. 
Working moms and dads need peace of mind knowing their kids are in a 
safe place that would help their children develop in the right way.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I take this time to talk about the child 
care and development block grant bill that is before us and will be 
before us soon. I want to congratulate my colleagues, Senator Mikulski 
for her leadership on this bill, and Senator Harkin, Senator Alexander, 
and Senator Burr. This is truly a bipartisan effort, and we very much 
appreciate the child care and development block grant. It is critically 
important.
  The last time we authorized this program was 1996. I know that very 
well because I was serving in the House of Representatives at the time 
and had the opportunity to be the ranking member on the Human Resources 
Subcommittee in the Ways and Means Committee that was considering 
welfare reform and childcare, and how we could reward families for 
work, and how our welfare system could become a transitional program 
rather than a permanent program that would allow people, particularly 
moms, to be able to get into the workforce, stay in the workforce and 
climb up the economic ladder.
  As part of welfare reform we recognized we had to do things about the 
major cost concerns of someone, a mom, giving up her welfare in order 
to go to work. One of those issues was health care. We passed 
transitional health care for people coming off of cash assistance. We 
also had to deal with childcare, because childcare is an extremely 
costly part of being able to get into the workforce.
  In 1996 we consolidated many programs that were out there. We 
coordinated eligibility. There were different eligibility rules for 
many of these programs. We simplified the rules so we could get maximum 
dollars of help for people who entered the workforce. The goal was 
self-sufficiency through education, training, and being able to get a 
job.
  Today, under the CCDBG, under the Child Care and Development Block 
Grant Program, there are 1.6 million eligible children. It is not just 
a safe environment for those children, because 70 percent of their 
parents are working--not just a safe environment,

[[Page S1602]]

it is early childhood education. These children who are in childcare 
will do better later in life. There have been many studies that verify 
this.
  This is a win-win situation, providing a safe environment for 
children so their parents can work and educational opportunity for the 
children at the same time. It pays off big-time for the workforce. A 
TANF study showed that parents who had their children in childcare for 
2 years or more were more likely to remain in the employment field. So 
it provides stable employment, help for the child, and a win-win 
situation.
  The eligibility for the program is it cannot exceed 85 percent of the 
State median income, to give you an idea of the type of people we are 
talking about who benefit from this program.
  In Maryland, for a family of two the maximum income is $24,000 and 
for a family of four the maximum income is $35,000. In my State, 
Maryland, the average cost for childcare for an infant is about $12,000 
a year. For a child over 4 years of age, it is about $9,000 a year.
  We heard about the income levels and how a family is eligible for 
this program. It is clear that low-wage families cannot afford 
childcare on their own. We need to help, and that is what this program 
does, so that they can move up the economic ladder and not be a burden 
on the cash-assistance program.
  Today, as we did prior to 1996, we have combined discretionary and 
mandatory programs for our childcare. Today discretionary spending is 
at $2.36 billion and $2.9 billion in mandatory spending.
  The legislation before us also makes improvements, as it should. It 
allows the States to develop 13 specific health and safety standards, 
such as first aid and CPR, and SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome. It 
is keeping our children safer in childcare by having safety standards 
that are developed. It requires the States to do inspections of 
childcare centers, comprehensive background checks for those who are 
involved in childcare, online information, more transparency in the 
program, and additional State flexibility on how they can set 
priorities within the childcare program. That is exactly what 
federalism should be.
  The Federal Government establishes a broad policy that we want to see 
families self-sufficient, we want to make sure there is a safe 
environment for children, and we want to make sure we do this in a way 
that is consistent with our national priorities. We also need to give 
flexibility to the State and local governments to be able to set their 
priorities to meet the needs of their citizens, and that is what this 
bill does.
  I will take a moment now to give real-life examples of how this 
program is critically important to our community. A great example is 
the Judy Centers of Maryland. We have 25 Judy Centers in Maryland. They 
are named after Congressman Steny Hoyer's wife Judy, who died of cancer 
in 1997. Judy was a longtime advocate for quality early childhood 
education and comprehensive family support services. I knew Judy very 
well, and she was an incredibly dedicated leader and advocate for our 
children.
  I have a couple of specific examples from the Judy Center as to how 
the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program is critically 
important to their existence. According to the testimony given before a 
committee, Judy Center employees discovered a dad who lost his job and 
a mom who only worked part time. They could not make ends meet or look 
for jobs or go on interviews because they had no childcare for their 2- 
and 3-year-old children. The Judy Center enrolled them in KinderCare, a 
childcare partner, and provided tuition assistance.
  Since they lost their health insurance when their dad became 
unemployed, they were given an application for the Maryland CHIP 
program, the health insurance program. The 3-year-old had a behavioral 
issue and was referred to the Judy Center behavioral specialist, who 
worked with her extensively. She also received tutoring services.
  Dad is now employed full time. Thanks to safe childcare, dad is now 
employed full time. After much encouragement, mom enrolled in adult 
education classes and received her GED. She has also completed a 
medical assistance program and is now enrolled in the College of 
Southern Maryland to pursue an associates degree. The children are now 
in elementary school and are doing well in school.
  I could give many more examples like this family. I could talk about 
many other success stories that would not have been possible without 
the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program, and that is why it 
is critically important that we reauthorize the program.
  I see my colleague from Maryland is on the Senate floor. I 
congratulate her for her leadership in getting this bill to the floor--
not just getting this bill to the floor, which is important, but doing 
it in a way that we can get it passed in the Senate and accomplish our 
objectives so we can get women into the workforce and have early 
childhood education to help children succeed in life. We can help 
American families and strengthen America.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Maryland.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, before my colleague leaves the floor, I 
want to express my appreciation for his statement today and in 
particular when he spoke about the Judy Center, which has meant so much 
in Maryland to show the way childcare should be addressed. The Judy 
Center is a family-oriented organization that is focused on children. 
Their so-called wraparound services help the child not only with all 
that is necessary in a well-run childcare facility, but they also work 
with the family, strengthen the family, and help the family by giving 
them information about other opportunities to improve their life, such 
as educational benefits. I think it is a national model. If I had my 
way, I would like to adopt the Judy Center model throughout America.
  Again, I thank the Senator for speaking about the Judy Center.
  I also thank my friend for his steadfast advocacy for children, the 
way he has worked for the children's health program, particularly 
focusing on the dental services for that little boy Deamonte, the child 
who died. He is a real fighter.
  Senator Cardin is also well known for getting rid of lead paint 
poisoning in Maryland. So now he wants the lead out of bureaucracy and 
the lead out of the Senate. Again, I thank him for his comments.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
bill.

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