[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 49 (Monday, December 11, 2000)]
[Page 2988]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Need for Congressional Action on Funding
for Child Care

December 6, 2000

    Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is releasing 
an important report showing that in 1999, States were able to provide 
child care assistance to only 12 percent of all federally eligible low-
income working families. Also today, the Children's Defense Fund is 
releasing a report showing that the cost of child care is the greatest 
barrier low-income families face in finding quality care for their 
children. These new findings demonstrate that too many working families 
are still struggling with the high cost of child care, and we must 
ensure America's families have access to affordable, quality child care 
so they can balance their responsibilities both at work and at home. 
Under my administration, Federal funding for child care has more than 
doubled, and the 1996 welfare reform law increased child care funding by 
$4 billion to provide child care assistance to families moving from 
welfare to work and to other low-income families, but we can do more.
    Two months ago we reached a bipartisan agreement with Congress to 
provide an $817 million increase for the child care and development 
block grant program, bringing funding to $2 billion. In 2001 this 
increase would enable the program to provide child care subsidies for 
nearly 200,000 more children. With these new resources, combined with 
the child care funds provided as part of welfare reform, the program 
could serve more than 2.1 million children in 2001, an increase of 
nearly one million since 1997. We are still meeting only a fraction of 
the need, but this is a critical step forward. I urge Congress to 
complete the work it has left undone for more than 2 months and heed the 
message of these reports by increasing funding for affordable, quality 
child care. America's working families should not have to wait any 
longer.