FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Sara Neumann, (203) 209-6545

Washington, D.C. (June 20, 2019) – Save the Children Action Network CEO Mark Shriver applauded the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee for passing legislation that would update the federal tax code to make child care more affordable and accessible for working families.

“Helping American families pay for child care is one of the single best investments our country can make,” Shriver said. “Provisions that are included in the Economic Mobility Act of 2019 will help to ensure that more working families never have to choose between keeping their jobs or placing their kids in quality early childhood care and education. This bill provides families with the opportunity to invest in their child’s future, especially those living in poverty who lack an equal opportunity to succeed.”

The legislation would provide a two-year expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). This expansion would make the credit fully refundable for low-income families, increase the value of the credit, and make annual inflation adjustments providing families with greater spending power over time when seeking care for their children.

“There’s nothing more important to our nation’s future than our children, and we must do all we can to give them a strong start in life,” Shriver said. “This legislation puts families first and is a big step in the right direction for working families across the country.”

For many families, the cost of child care can make it difficult to maintain employment and make ends meet. In more than half of the country, the annual cost of full-time child care for a four year old is greater than the average cost of in-state tuition at a four year college or university. Those pressures disproportionately impact low-wage workers who spend, on average, more than 30 percent of their income on child care.

The expansion of the CDCTC would help more families afford child care.

The Committee also passed the Child Care Quality and Access Act of 2019, legislation that would provide a billion-dollar increase in mandatory child care funding. This funding could provide child care assistance to an additional 183,600 low-income children.

# # #

Save the Children Action Network is the political voice for kids. We believe that every child deserves the best start in life. That’s why we’re building bipartisan will and voter support to make sure every child in the U.S. has access to high-quality early learning and that no mother or child around the globe dies from a preventable disease or illness. By investing in kids and holding leaders accountable, we are helping kids from birth to age five survive and thrive. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.