    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [May 5, 1998]
    [Pages 692-693]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Annie E. Casey Foundation Report on Child Care
    May 5, 1998

        I want to commend the Annie E. Casey Foundation for its KIDS COUNT
    Data Book which highlights the need for safe and affordable child care
    for millions of America's working families. The report, released today,
    provides important evidence of the child care challenges facing
    families, businesses, and the economy.
        KIDS COUNT reports that every day parents of 29 million children
    struggle to find safe and affordable child care so that they can go to
    work. The challenge is especially great for the working parents of 10
    million children in low-income families. The report tells us that this
    need continues to grow; that child care is

    [[Page 693]]

    unaffordable for many families, consuming 25 percent of income for many
    low-income families; that quality is uneven and often poor; and that
    inadequate care can have a dramatic impact on children's development.
        This report provides further evidence of the urgency for Congress to
    act on child care legislation. Too many American families are struggling
    to find and afford child care to meet their obligations as workers and
    their more important responsibility as parents. My child care initiative
    will help working families pay for child care, build a good supply of
    after-school programs, improve the safety and quality of care, and
    promote early learning. Today I again call on Congress to act, and I
    look forward to working with Members in both parties to enact
    comprehensive bipartisan child care legislation that meets the needs of
    children and families.