Implementing the CCDBG Reauthorization: State-by-State Fact Sheets
By Rhiannon Reeves
Previously, CLASP and the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) released an implementation guide for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) reauthorization. To accompany the guide, CLASP and NWLC have also created a series of fact sheets summarizing state-specific information related to the new law’s requirements in each state as outlined in the guide.
On November 19, 2014, President Obama, with broad bipartisan support from Congress, signed into law the CCDBG Act of 2014; its first reauthorization since 1996. The new law strengthens CCDBG’s dual role as a major early childhood education program and a work support for low-income families, supporting goals that aim to improve the health, safety, and quality of child care and make it less burdensome for families to get and keep child care assistance. While these policy changes may improve access to high-quality child care for low-income families, they depend on strategic and thoughtful state implementation and resources.
The implementation guide is designed to help policymakers and advocates gain a better understanding of what is entailed in fully implementing the law. It summarizes and analyzes key sections of the reauthorization, offering recommendations and areas of caution for states. These new companion fact sheets provide a snapshot of selected provisions of the CCDBG reauthorization at the state level along with each state’s current policies in related areas such as eligibility, background checks, and health and safety requirements, based on the most recently available data.
For states to achieve the full potential of the CCDBG reauthorization while avoiding tradeoffs that harm children and families—and the child care providers who serve them—thoughtful implementation and new resources will be essential. CLASP and NWLC will continue to work closely with those involved in implementing the law in states and at the federal level to realize the potential benefits of the reauthorization.
Access your state’s fact sheet here.
Read Implementing the Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization.
