Sen. Klobuchar pushes for bipartisan legislation to address child care issue

(ABC 6 news) – Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to reduce child care costs and address the nationwide shortage of affordable child care.

According to a press release, the “Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act would provide competitive grants for states to train child care workers and build or renovate child care facilities.

It comes as families nationwide struggle to access available child care. Many rural communities are becoming so-called “child care deserts,” due to the decline in child care providers.

“For far too many families, the struggle to find high-quality, affordable child care serves as a barrier to children’s early development and to parents entering the workforce,” Klobuchar said. She goes on to state “out bipartisan legislation will train more child care workers and build and expand facilities in child care deserts, so families in all parts of the country can afford and access that child care they need.

The “Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act” would address the shortage of affordable child care in rural areas, provide grants to state for child care training and expansion or renovation of facilities, require applications for those grants, and enhance the retention and compensation of quality child care professionals.