Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Child Care And Development Block Grant Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded Senate passage of a bipartisan bill that reauthorizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program, which provides funding to help working families with the cost of child care. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act – which passed the House of Representatives in September and will now go to President Obama for his signature – would authorize more than $15 billion in funding over 6 years for the grant program, while also providing critical upgrades to the law. The bipartisan legislation was passed in the Senate by a vote of 88 – 1.
“The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act passed by the Senate today will help ensure that the 50,000 Illinois children who are served by this program every month continue to have access to childcare and after-school services,” Durbin said. “This bipartisan legislation also makes much-needed upgrades to the grant program, which include: expanding access for toddlers and infants of low-income families, strengthening health and safety standards and training, ensuring the program meets the needs children with disabilities and expanding background checks for child care providers.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Program is the primary source of federal funding for child care assistance and serves 1.6 million children nationally every month. Funding through the program is administered in formula block grants, which states use to help low-income families access quality, affordable child care and after-school programs while parents work, train for work, or attend school. In fiscal year 2013, Illinois received $204,509,524 in funding in Child Care and Development Block Grants, and served 52,800 children per month under the program.