In 2018, Congress appropriated an increase of more than $2 billion to support states and territories in meeting the goals and requirements of the 2014 reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). View the interactive maps and state profiles on this page to learn more about how states are using or planning to use this funding increase and the challenges they still face.
In 2014, Congress reauthorized the CCDBG, setting new standards around eligibility for child care subsidies, child care quality, health and safety, access to child care, and workforce supports for early childhood educators. The 2014 reauthorization law included policy changes requiring states to:
Set provider payment rates to promote equal access to the child care market for parents receiving child care subsidies.
Implement family-friendly eligibility policies that help families keep their subsidy without interruptions.
Enhance health and safety practices for all CCDBG providers, including health and safety training and inspections and comprehensive background checks.
Expand consumer education, which includes increasing online access to information on child development and other financial assistance programs and creating a hotline to report safety concerns.
Increase the amounts of set-asides that states must spend toward supporting the quality and development of the child care workforce.
Expand access to child care for vulnerable families and priority groups whose needs and characteristics limit the child care options currently available to them.
For more information regarding CCDBG reauthorization click here.
Given that additional funding was not included in the 2014 reauthorization, states struggled to implement the new requirements and increase the number of eligible children served. In 2018, Congress responded to these challenges by appropriating a $2.37 billion increase nationally to CCDBG—the largest-ever increase in this funding. This project examines how U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories have used, or plan to use, increased federal funding from the 2018 appropriation.
Resources
National Maps
1. Use of Federal CCDBG funding increase »
2. Implementing specific reauthorization requirements »
3. Challenges to implementing reauthorization goals and requirements »
State profiles
Information on how each state has used, or plans to use, increased federal funds.
Additional context regarding states’ current or planned use of funds.
About the Project
In May 2019, Child Trends launched a national survey of Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) state and territory administrators to identify how states are using (or plan to use) new federal funding to expand services for eligible children and implement the goals and requirements of CCDBG reauthorization. In addition to documenting how the increased funding is being or will be used, Child Trends also asked whether states and territories experienced any challenges implementing reauthorization goals and requirements.
State administrators reported whether they used or planned to use new funds to a) increase payment rates for providers, b) expand access/increase the number of children served, c) expand eligibility limits, or d) meet reauthorization requirements.
States that planned to use new funds to:
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For each reauthorization requirement, state administrators reported whether a) the requirement was a priority for the new funds, b) the state was already meeting the requirement, or c) the requirement was a future priority (i.e., the state still needed additional funds or time in order to implement the requirement). The three most commonly reported uses of additional funds were to conduct comprehensive background checks for providers, reduce parental copayments, and provide pre-service health and safety training for all providers receiving a subsidy.
States commonly reported using additional funds for:
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State administrators reported whether additional funds were used to implement reauthorization requirements, and if so, which requirements needed additional funds.
States that indicated they needed additional funds to implement or maintain reauthorization requirements
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To better understand whether the federal CCDBG funding increase encouraged states to increase state funding for child care assistance, we asked state administrators whether they also received an increase in state general funds for child care assistance in FY 2018 or FY 2019.
Increase in state general funds for child care assistance
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This project was made possible with support from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, the Irving Harris Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
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