Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act

The Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act proposes a federally funded, locally administered system to provide affordable child care and early education to all children from age six weeks until they reach school age. Under this plan, the Department of Health and Human Services would partner with local governments and non-profits to establish a network of providers available to families regardless of their income, employment status, or citizenship.

For families, the bill would cap child care costs at a maximum of 7% of their total household income. Families earning less than 200% of the federal poverty line would be eligible to receive these services for free. The program aims to standardize the quality of care by requiring participating providers to meet federal standards similar to those used by the Head Start program.