On Thursday, March 30, NICCA and our partners are having a call-in day to focus specially on child care. On that day, we’re asking the field to call and urge their Representatives to request that the Appropriations Chairman increase funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant by $1.4 billion in the FY 2018 appropriations bill.
Without this additional $1.4 billion, states will not be able to implement the important reforms contained in the CCDBG Act of 2014 while maintaining the current number of children served. Already, there has been a significant decline in the number of children served, with 373,000 fewer children receiving child care assistance in 2015 than in 2006. As of February 2016, only one state was paying providers at the federally recommended rate. Given the pressing need for greater child care investments, and the growing attention on child care as an issue, we think now is the time to make a special effort around child care funding.
We understand that there are many important issues that you may be calling or emailing about, but if you are able to participate in this action, we wanted to provide information about how you can join in. NICCA and our partners (NWLC, YWCA, CLASP, NAEYC, Child Care Aware, NAFCC, and ZERO TO THREE) will be sending action alerts on March 30th. Check your email on Thursday morning for a script for calling and an infographic for sharing on social media.
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