Last week, CLASP released two resources that can help stakeholders in states think about how to use recent COVID relief funds to address urgent needs and make longer term policy changes to improve equity. With our partners at NAEYC and EducationCounsel, we released "How States Can Spend $10 Billion for Child Care Well, Wisely & With Urgency" ([link removed]).

Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Congress allocated $10 billion to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in December 2020. CLASP estimated late last year ([link removed]) how the funds would be distributed to each state. These new funds can help offer relief and stability for child care while providing needed supports to children and their families. But if our economy is to recover over the long term, policymakers must reimagine an approach to financing and structuring the systems that support high-quality child care.

Danielle Ewen (EducationCounsel), Lauren Hogan (NAEYC), and Christine Johnson-Staub provide various policy considerations states can implement to spend these funds and provide relief to those impacted. It is imperative for states to spend this money urgently and thoughtfully by putting effective policies into place.

One opportunity to advocate for and make progress in implementing such policies is presented in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) state plan process. CLASP’s "Opportunities to Advocate for Equitable Child Care Policies through the State CCDF Planning Process" ([link removed]) unpacks those opportunities.

Christine Johnson-Staub and Simon Workman offer advocates strategies and opportunities for engaging in the creation and planning of State CCDF plans, which must be filed every three years. With plans due in July, this is an important moment for states to use the plan's development to address the economic challenges families and child care providers are facing.

While the $10 billion currently on the table will help provide immediate relief, it is important that states and advocates continue to demonstrate the deep need for additional, ongoing, substantial, and sustainable funding and policies that set our nation on a path toward an essential, equitable, quality child care system.

For more information or assistance with next steps, contact
Christine Johnson-Staub at [email protected].

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