[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SUPPORTING AFFORDABLE, QUALITY, FLEXIBLE CHILD CARE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2014

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
support of the expansion of resources for the Child Care Development 
Block Grant program.
  As a mother of a 5-year old, I understand the need for affordable, 
quality, and accessible child care. The Child Care Development Block 
Grant of 2014 extends the program's original intent of supporting low-
income working families by ensuring that children are in a setting that 
will keep them safe and encourage healthy development.
  This reauthorization is a solid step to help families meet the 
expense of child care as it includes ambitious new changes that are 
important for a high quality child care system. However, the sweeping 
new requirements called for under this Act are not adequately funded. 
As states implement the new requirements envisioned in this legislation 
without additional resources, I fear the result will be that eligible 
children and families may lose access to child care assistance.
  To successfully implement the much-needed improvements included in 
this legislation, we must re-double our efforts to increase mandatory 
and discretionary funding in order to meet the new standards set out 
under this program. As the federal government continues to increase 
expectations for child care providers and programs without new funding, 
I am concerned that already high turnover may be exacerbated and 
poverty wages for child care providers will remain the norm.
  Families in poverty are spending 30% or more of their income on child 
care. Child care costs are simply unaffordable for many workers in low-
wage jobs. With stagnant wages, this leaves many low-income working 
families struggling to find a safe place to care for their children. 
The average annual cost of full-time care for one child can be nearly 
$4,000 to over $16,000, especially in areas with high costs of living, 
like Los Angeles County.
  A new National Women's Law Center analysis of state and national data 
shows that more than half of mothers who have very young children and 
work in low-wage jobs are raising children on their own; half are 
working full time; and over one-third are poor. They are 
disproportionately African-American or Hispanic.
  I urge the Administration, in its implementation of this Act, to 
balance the requirements placed on states, child care providers, and an 
already under-resourced and stressed child care system with a realistic 
assessment of the new resources made available for implementation.
  Expanding access to affordable quality child care is about the 
safety, economic development, and services that working families 
everywhere in the U.S. deserve.

                          ____________________