NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
ERIC Number: ED607069
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul-6
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
States Are Using the CARES Act to Improve Child Care Access during COVID-19
Bedrick, Elizabeth; Daily, Sarah
Child Trends
Child care plays a vital role in our nation's economy. COVID-19 has largely shut down child care programs and schools across the nation, presenting challenges for working parents. Child care closures are a particularly acute problem for frontline and essential workers--health care personnel, grocery store staff, postal and delivery service workers, and many others who need to physically report to work. At the same time, child care providers across the nation are struggling to stay financially secure under these dire circumstances. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act included $3.5 billion in emergency funds for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and the federal Administration for Children and Families issued guidance to allow states more flexibility in meeting Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) requirements to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. These measures enable states to help families and child care providers get the support they desperately need. A new policy scan from Child Trends shows that states are using these emergency funds to improve the affordability of care and increase provider compensation. Specifically, states are: (1) continuing to pay child care providers who accept subsidies during this period of closure or low attendance; (2) providing emergency care through temporary regulatory changes and additional funding to providers who offer care for children of essential workers; (3) waiving or covering a portion of child care tuition that families may otherwise be required to pay. Originally conducted in April 2020, this snapshot of state policies was updated on June 17, 2020 to best reflect both the rapidly changing policy environment and states' evolving responses to COVID-19. It was subsequently updated again on July 6, 2020 to reflect newly identified data provided by Maryland on the state's use of CARES Act funds.
Child Trends. 7315 Wisconsin Avenue Suite 1200W, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 240-223-9200; Fax: 240-200-1238; Web site: http://www.childtrends.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Child Trends
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Child Care and Development Block Grants
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A