We need affordable, quality child care

Press Release

Parents cannot work or get training, if they cannot find child care they trust - and can afford. I held a hearing on what we can do to make sure young children in day care develop the intellectual and social skills they need to succeed in school and in life -- and how to make sure parents can afford that quality care. We heard from witnesses, who described their own struggles to pay for care. The national average is $16,000 per year. And we heard from witnesses who run day care facilities and learned what they need to create quality programs. Along with the Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Bobby Scott, and Senate counterparts Patty Murray (D-Washington), Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai'i), I have introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act to address these issues. One standard in our bill is that no family earning under 150 percent of state median income should have to pay more than seven percent of their income on child care. So, a Marianas family, with one wage earner making minimum wage, could get subsidized child care for about $90 per month. Watch the hearing here.

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