On Thursday, December 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (also known as the “omnibus bill[i]”). The appropriation for fiscal year (FY) 2023 included more than $8 billion in total annual discretionary funds for the Child Care and Development…
While CLASP applauds the passage of the FY2023 omnibus spending package with increased investments in key child care and early education programs, it leaves out other crucial investments in programs that also support families with low incomes.
The pervasive, persistent, and racist inequities within the banking system for Black communities created barriers to establishing the kinds of banking relationships necessary to access those loans, making them virtually inaccessible.
While the passage of the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 is a strong step forward by temporarily eliminating resource inequities, policymakers should reassess how to target these funds to meet the nutritional needs of children in early education settings.
In this letter to the editor, Indivar Dutta-Gupta urges Congress to "to invest in child-care and home care to transform care jobs into family-sustaining jobs, while establishing a national paid-leave program to help more working people care for their loved ones."
For far too long, the lack of funding for the child care sector has led to significant tradeoffs resulting in inequitable policies and limited access for families who need it the most.
CLASP, along with nearly 100 national organizations and more than 5,000 child care providers, parents, early learning advocates, and individuals, signs on to a letter that highlights the urgent need to ensure the reconciliation package includes critical investments for child care.