STATEMENT: FFYF’s Sarah Rittling on $500M in Disaster Relief for Child Care

Friday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to avert a government shutdown and provide emergency aid. The Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act would keep the federal government funded through March 14th and provide emergency aid to help states recover from natural disasters and emergencies including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The package also contains $500 million in funding for child care, including:

• $250 million for renovation and repairs of child care facilities that were damaged by natural disasters, as well as temporary services for children in affected areas.
• $250 million in emergency supplemental funding to increase access to quality child care for working families around the country.
  

These funds would be allocated through the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, which allows states to decide how to best use the money for child care. This program, which provides the foundation for child care funding, has successfully and efficiently distributed supplemental funding for child care in past emergencies. 

This legislation also serves as a continuing resolution (CR), extending federal funding through March 14th, by which date Congress will need to pass a full spending bill for FY25. Earlier in the process, House and Senate Appropriators prioritized federal child care and early learning programs including CCDBG, Early Head Start, Head Start, and Preschool Development Grants. That bipartisan support will be critical as Congress completes their work on FY25 and pivots to funding for FY26. [Learn more here.]

The following is a statement from First Five Years Fund Executive Director Sarah Rittling in support of this announcement: 

“States devastated by recent disasters are now focused on rebuilding. At the heart of this recovery are child care services, which are crucial for construction crews, first responders, local business owners, and families with young children as they strive to restore and strengthen their communities. This funding will help to rebuild child care services and provide stability and nurturing care for young children in these communities. It also acknowledges that a lack of affordable, quality child care continues to be a problem in need of a solution. We thank Appropriators for understanding the vital role child care plays in building strong communities, and we look forward to working with Congress on robust support for families in the weeks ahead.”

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For more information or to speak to an expert on CCDBG, FY25 appropriations, and early learning and care more broadly, visit www.ffyf.org.