Child Care and Development Block Grant
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG, or the Child Care and Development Fund, CCDF) is the largest source of federal funding to provide child care assistance for low-income families and improve the quality of child care. CLASP actively supports increased funding for CCDBG and expanded investments in quality initiatives. CCDBG was scheduled for reauthorization in 2002.
With a group of national and state organizations, CLASP led an effort to develop a shared national vision for the future of child care. The Agenda for Affordable, High-Quality Child Care proposes comprehensive, systemic reforms to meet four overarching goals. These goals guide our recommendations for reauthorization of CCDBG:
- Child care will be healthy and safe.
- Children will be in stimulating early childhood and after-school environments that will help them succeed in school and in life.
- Low- and moderate-income families will have more help in meeting the cost of care.
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Families of infants and toddlers will have increased access to high-quality care.
In the ACF FY 2011 Congressional Justification, the Obama Administration laid out its principles for reauthorization:
- Serving more low-income children in safe, healthy, nurturing child care settings that are highly effective in promoting learning, child development, and school readiness.
- Supporting parent employment and expanding high quality choices available to parents across the range of child care settings.
- Minimizing the disruptions to children's development and learning by promoting continuity of care.
- Strengthening accountability in the CCDF program.
- Improving coordination of federal early care and education programs through alignment of program goals and priorities.
The administration stated its committment to a reauthorized law that is focused on improving the quality of child care and increases the quality set-aside. The administration plans to promote health and safety standards and increased monitoring of child care; high standards of quality across settings; effective professional development opportunities; coordination across early childhood programs; the promotion of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS), and an expanded supply of child care for underserved populations, including rural communities, infants and toddlers, and children with special needs.
Resources & Publications
Developing America’s Potential: An Agenda for Affordable, High-Quality Child Care
A blueprint for the future of child care endorsed by national, state and local organizations. DOWNLOAD PDF
Feb 22, 2010 | Hannah Matthews
Immigrant Families and Child Care Subsidies: What Federal Law and Guidance Says
Federal law establishes policies on immigrant eligibility for child care assistance, yet questions regarding eligibility remain at the state and local level. Most child care assistance is funded through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, which have differing rules regarding immigrant eligibility. This fact sheet lays out rules and guidance related to immigrant eligibility for child care subsidies through both funding streams. DOWNLOAD PDF
Feb 27, 2009 | Hannah Matthews
CCDBG: What's in the Law?
The federal Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program allows states broad discretion to develop their child care assistance programs within federal guidelines. This brief lays out the federal requirements states must follow in designing their child care programs and spending CCDBG funds. DOWNLOAD PDF
Nov 10, 2008 | Julie Cohen (ZERO TO THREE) and Danielle Ewen
Infants and Toddlers in Child Care
This joint brief makes policy recommendations to create supports for, and expand access to, quality child care for infants and toddlers, focusing on the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), tax policy, and appropriations. The brief also summarizes research on the importance of quality child care. DOWNLOAD PDF
View all CLASP publications on child care subsidies.