Child Care and Pre-K in the Build Back Better Act  

Last week’s passage of the Build Back Better (BBB) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives marks an historic moment for child care and early education, with investments totaling $390 billion. For decades, child care and early education programs have suffered due to underfunding, lack of resources, and inequitable policy decisions. The BBB Act offers a long-overdue opportunity to build a more sustainable and equitable system that works for all families. The investments outlined in the bill create a child care program for most children, from birth through age five, and universal pre-K for three- and four-year-olds. 

CLASP recently released several resources on the BBB Act to help break down the legislation.  

• 7 Things to Know About Child Care and Universal Pre-K in the Build Back Better Act: Alyssa Fortner outlined the 7 key things to know about the child care and pre-K provisions in the Act. This transformative legislation will:

  1. Lower costs for families 

  2. Guarantee high-quality child care for families 

  3. Increase availability of care 

  4. Improve compensation, professional development, and business sustainability for providers 

  5. Enhance quality of care for children 

  6. Establish mixed delivery, universal pre-K 

  7. Center racial and gender equity 

• Understanding Child Care and Pre-K Provisions in the Build Back Better Act: Alycia Hardy created a detailed explainer of the child care and pre-K provisions in the BBB Act. This explainer helps translate legislative text and gives an overview of what can be expected according to the House passed version of the BBB Act. 

• Build Back Better Act’s Child Care Provisions: State-by-State Estimates: Alycia Hardy and Stephanie Schmit estimated the allocations of the BBB child care provisions in the first 3 years for each state, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The $100 billion investment will help increase access to child care subsidies, support supply building and improve program quality, as well as increase wages for child care providers.  

• Capping the Co-pay: A State-by-State Analysis, Child Care Proposal Will Keep More Money in Families’ Pockets: Alejandra Londono Gomez and Alycia Hardy recently updated their fact sheet to include the expanded income eligibility threshold of 250 percent State Median Income included in the most recent House version of the bill. This updated piece also makes additional adjustments to better align with the White House methodology and shows the impact of implementing a co-payment structure for families across states at various income thresholds, by estimating their expected monthly copayment.

The child care and pre-K provisions of the BBB Act, along with many other family and child-focused provisions, could change the trajectory of millions of people’s lives. This is a once-in-a-generation moment for children, families, providers, and our country. Let's continue to urge Congress to pass the bill and support all families.