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FEBRUARY EDITION

Council Policy Spotlight

Impact Child Care Policy Today 

ACT NOW to SAVE FUNDING for Child Care and

Early Learning Programs!

Over the next few weeks, Congress will make key decisions about funding for federal programs. It is critical they hear from you about the importance of prioritizing funding to support our nation’s educators, early learners, and their families. Join the Council, and our policy advocates at National Women’s Law Center, in urging Congress to pass robust funding for child care programs today.

Click here to contact your Members of Congress.

Federal Congressional Update

Work Underway to Make the

Child Tax Credit Permanent

On January 24, 2024, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act of 2024, referred to as the CDCTC Enhancement Act. This proposed bill is aimed to support working families in the U.S. with young children, under the age of 13, by alleviating the steep costs associated with child care.

If this Bill is passed, it will “amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make the CDCTC Enhancement Act fully refundable for some taxpayers” and offset the costs of child care for others, dependent on the family’s adjusted gross income (2024).

Families saw the immense impact this tax credit provided them when the CDCTC was temporarily enacted into law under the American Rescue Plan Act (2021) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the previous iterations of the CDCTC, the CDCTC Enhancement Act will permanently expand child care tax credits and will automatically adjust to account for inflation.

Families across the U.S. have experienced the burden associated with inflation. According to the First Five Years Fund, “on average, one out of 5 families spend $36,000 on child care in a year” (2024).

The passing of the CDCTC Enhancement Act will relieve financial stress on working families and ensure they can afford high-quality child care while working. The Council for Professional Recognition fully supports the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act of 2024. We urge Congress to pass this critical legislation that supports families, the early care and education field, and will help to stimulate the U.S. economy.

For a deeper dive into Family Tax Credits and the options under consideration, check out the First Five Years Fund’s resource here.



State Spotlight

Communities across the country struggle from chronic underinvestment in early childhood, made worse by last year’s expiration of critical stabilization funding. It is in this landscape that North Carolina is one of many states advocating for policy innovations to keep the system afloat. The pandemic raised the alarm on an already urgent child care shortage – getting the attention of families and business leaders in a new way. Advocates are capitalizing on this elevated awareness as a catalyst for positive change. When ECE and business sectors join forces, the influence on policymakers is more likely to be heard: economic wellbeing resonates with citizens and wins votes. In North Carolina, two big efforts have our attention:

• Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Funds, an innovative partnership to stabilize child care access by splitting the costs of care between employers, parents, and state funding.

• The CandL Coalition, led by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation, in partnership with the NC Chamber of Commerce and additional partners, is working to assess the landscape and propose additional policy recommendations.

Read more here about the movement in North Carolina to address system-level solutions.

Resources

• Child Care Aware of America recently released an interactive dashboard on ECE Policy Across the U.S., 2020-Present. 
• Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) visits Richmond to discuss push for federal funding of Virginia child care programs. 
• Bipartisan Policy Center releases Child Care Workforce Licensing Database.
• Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s proposed budget boosts child care and education budget without raising taxes.

Announcement:

New Apprenticeship Webinar Series

Join the Council for Professional Recognition and the Early Childhood Workforce Connector (ECWC) for The Early Childhood Education Registered Apprenticeship Webinar Series.

This monthly series offers valuable insights for early childhood educator directors, administrators, child care owners, state and local leaders, as well as policymakers. As the field looks for creative solutions to the workforce crisis, legislators and many other early childhood stakeholders are looking at how apprenticeship programs offer an innovative approach to training. This model presents aspiring early childhood educators additional opportunities to expand their skillsets with formal training and support.

The series concludes with an in-person session at the Council’s 2024 Early Educators Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. The conference will be held October 16 – 19, 2024.

This is an opportunity for you to be a part of an innovative learning experience focused on the early childhood education field. Register for the first installment of the series featuring Marjorie Cohen from ECWC and Haley Brush from the Council for Professional Recognition here.

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