Helping families work and children learn:
NAEYC applauds President's proposal to invest in child care

Increasing investment in child care is a necessary component of economic recovery

(Washington, D.C.) - The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) strongly supports President Barack Obama’s plan for a $1.6 billion increase in the Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for working families and for nearly doubling the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for middle class families. Together, these budget requests provide an economic as well as education benefit to individual children and society as a whole.

“We know that families struggle with the basics of child care among other needs,” said Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC. “This proposal not only helps individual families, it also is a necessary component for our nation's economic recovery.”

In addition, NAEYC is very pleased that the White House urges the reauthorization of CCDBG, which coupled with the enactment of the Early Learning Challenge Fund, will create more high-quality early learning experiences for young children that prepare them for success in school, work, and life.

Between 2001 and 2008, the number of children served by the Child Care Development Fund declined by about 200,000, according to President’s Middle Class Task Force. The Administration’s $1.6 billion investment in CCDBG for low income families and the expansion of the tax credit for middle class families turns the country in the right direction and will alleviate the burden of balancing child care with other basic family expenses.

NAEYC urges Congress to adopt these proposals that will help America prosper and reach its potential.

 Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has nearly 90,000 members worldwide.  The association is the largest and most influential advocate for early care and education in the United States.

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