WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) reintroduced the Child Care Infrastructure Act and the Child Care Workforce Development Act, two bills that address America’s child care crisis with robust investment in early learning facilities and early educators. The bills would build more classrooms, hire more teachers, and in turn, decrease costs for providers and parents. The legislation is co-led by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Jennifer McClellan (VA-4), Brittany Pettersen (CO-7), and Jill Tokuda (HI-2).

“It is outrageous that families across America are going into debt to pay for child care,” said Whip Clark. “Today, we are introducing this pair of bills to build more classrooms, recruit more educators, and help reduce costs for child care providers and parents. While Republicans focus on tax cuts for the wealthy, House Democrats are putting forward serious solutions to make life easier and more affordable for families. It’s long past time my Republican colleagues start paying attention to families back home and stop listening to their billionaire donors.” 

Since taking office, Donald Trump and Republicans have attacked programs that help families access child care and help lower costs for parents. Within days of being inaugurated, Trump cut off funding to Head Start providers, which was quickly reversed after Democrats and the American people spoke out. Since then, the Administration has closed five of the ten Department of Health and Human Services regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs and has plans to defund early childhood education research that promotes quality care. Last week, Trump introduced his budget request for Fiscal Year 2026, which defunds the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program that provides child care to parenting students, and eliminates the Preschool Development Grants Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program that helps states improve and expand early childhood care for young children. 

“Affordable, quality child care should be available to all families with children, but it remains out of reach for too many,” said Rep. Bonamici. “These two bills will make overdue investments in our child care system to improve child care facilities and better compensate the dedicated early childhood educators who help kids learn and grow. I’m grateful to partner with Whip Clark in this important work.”

“Affordable child care helps working parents keep their kids safe while they go to work to provide for their families. As a dad and founder of the Dads Caucus, I know how tough it is to find affordable, quality child care — especially in communities with few options,” said Rep. Gomez. “While House Republicans continue to ignore the child care crisis, I’m working with Whip Clark and my colleagues to tackle it head-on. Our legislation would build more classrooms and help more people become early educators, so every child gets a strong start.”

“As one of the few Members of Congress with young children, I understand that early childhood lays the foundation for a child’s development, and I know just how tough it is to find high-quality, affordable child care,” said Rep. McClellan. “That’s why House Democrats push for real solutions to ease this financial burden on American families. I appreciate Whip Clark’s commitment to tackling this crisis in introducing the Child Care Infrastructure Act and the Child Care Workforce Development Act — two critical bills that will strengthen federal support for the child care system and encourage more providers to stay in this vital field.”

“As a working mom of two boys, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find affordable child care – and the problem is even worse in rural communities,” said Rep. Pettersen. “For both of my kids, I was put on long waitlists until a spot opened up. We’re some of the lucky ones – we could afford care and don’t live in a child care desert. But I know far too many families who aren’t as fortunate. That’s why I’m proud to work with Whip Clark to reintroduce these two pieces of legislation that will bolster our child care workforce, help lower costs for parents, and ensure every family can access the care they need for their children to thrive. While Republicans and Trump push tax breaks for billionaires and millionaires and try to gut the care families rely on, I’ll keep fighting back – because child care is one of the best investments we can make in our kids and our future.”

“As a mother, I know the tough choices working parents face when it comes to finding affordable, quality child care. Constant threats by the Trump Administration to dismantle vital programs like Head Start and Preschool Grants will rob children of early education, nutrition, and services that are foundational to a child's development,” said Rep. Tokuda. “I'm proud to join Whip Clark in reintroducing the Child Care Infrastructure Act and the Child Care Workforce Development Act, which will deliver more resources for working families. We need to ensure every child gets a strong start in life and that every parent has the means to support their family.”

The Child Care Infrastructure Act would:

  • Establish a grant program at HHS to award grants to states for the purpose of constructing new or renovating existing child care facilities to help build child care capacity and ensure safe early learning facilities for children. The bill also requires a needs assessment of the condition of child care facilities throughout the U.S.financial institutions or other organizations that have demonstrated experience in developing or financing early care and learning facilities.

The Child Care Workforce Development Act would: 

  • Create a student loan repayment program for early childhood educators and establish a program to provide grants to individuals pursuing a childhood development credential.

Whip Clark is the lead champion for child care in Congress. Last year, she launched her Affordable Child Care Agenda to call for a coalition of parents, educators, labor leaders, small business owners, and advocates seeking to reimagine America's care economy.

During her seven years on the Appropriations Committee, she increased funding for the CCDBG by $6 billion. At the height of the pandemic, Whip Clark helped save the child care system by keeping 200,000 child care providers in business and 10 million kids in classrooms nationwide.

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