Extracted text

OCR Page 1 of 71
Child Care Talking Points for NGA Annual Meeting I believe we have an historic opportunity to pass legislation this year to make child care better, safer, and more affordable for working parents. I know that there are important efforts underway in many of your states -- that's why my plan is geared toward supporting child care improvements on the state level. Included in my balanced budget proposal is a significant investment in child care -- $21.3 billion over five years -- which is the single largest investment in child care in our nation's history. My plan will: (1) make a significant new investment in the child care block grant, so that states can provide child care subsidies for more children of low-income working families; (2) establish a state-administered fund to enforce state health and safety standards in child care, through, for example, increased unannounced inspections; (3) establish a state-run Child Care Scholarship Fund; (4) create an Early Learning Fund to provide challenge grants through states to communities for activities that improve child care quality and safety and promote early learning; (5) double the number of children served by Early Head Start and expand Head Start; (6) build the supply of after-school programs through a significant investment in the 21st Century Community Learning Center program; (7) provide greater tax relief for three million working parents with child care costs through reforms to the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit; and (8) establish a new tax credit for businesses that offer child care services to their employees. I was delighted to have Governor Almond with me here at that White House when I announced this plan. I am grateful to all of you -- and to the leadership of the NGA for your important work in bringing early childhood development issues to the top of the agenda. I am eager to work together with you and with Members of Congress on a bipartisan basis this year on child care. I am particularly eager to work with you on promoting healthy childhood development and early learning and on improving child care safety and quality for our youngest children. Child Care Block Grant Increase $7.5 billion over five years Child and Dependent Tax Credit Reform $4.8 billion over five years Tax Credit for Businesses $500 million over five years After-School Program $800 million over five years Early Learning Fund $3.0 billion over five years Head Start Increase $3.8 billion over five years Standards Enforcement Fund $500 million over five years Child Care Provider Scholarship Fund $250 million over five years Research and Evaluation Fund $150 million over five years TOTAL: $21.3 billion over five years