Congressman Mackenzie Introduces Legislation to Modernize and Improve Childcare

Washington D.C. - Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), representing the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, introduced bipartisan legislation today to help working families access the child care services they count on. The Child Care Modernization Act updates and reauthorizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) - a federal program which supports access to high-quality childcare services. Congressman Mackenzie was joined on the legislation by Reps. Kristen McDonald-Rivet (D-MI), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Susie Lee (D-NV).

"Working families in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos count on access to high-quality, affordable child care here in our community," said Congressman Mackenzie. "After childcare costs skyrocketed by 29% from 2020-2024, it's more important than ever that we deliver the relief and reform that working families need to thrive. By bringing federal childcare support in line with the modern needs of parents and providers, the bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act will help to improve access, affordability, and quality for everyone."

"Parents are doing everything right and still struggling to find and afford child care," said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet (D-MI). "This bill helps by cutting red tape, supporting child care providers, and giving families more choices. It won't solve the whole problem, but it's a step in the right direction. We need to keep pushing for the investments and reforms that working families deserve."

"Childcare remains one of the biggest household expenses for families in Iowa and across the country. After more than a decade without reauthorization, the federal government's primary childcare program simply isn't equipped to meet the needs of our families. That's why I helped introduce bipartisan legislation to expand access to affordable, quality childcare and ensure every working family can access quality, affordable childcare. This bill tackles barriers that make it harder to open and grow childcare facilities, creating more options for parents and strengthening our workforce. Family is at the heart of everything I do, and I'll keep fighting to make it easier to raise one," said Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA).

"It's no secret how ridiculously expensive child care is in Nevada. Three out of four kids in our state do not have access to a licensed child care provider - that's unacceptable. Parents shouldn't need to choose between having a full-time job or taking care of their kids," said Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV). "This isn't a red or blue issue. I'm proud to introduce the bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act to address this crisis by helping child care providers expand their reach and allowing more families in our community to access the high-quality child care they need."

"The lack of affordable, reliable child care - especially in rural communities - remains a huge issue for working families. It's why I introduced the Child Care Modernization Act to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant, driving meaningful improvements in child care access and quality. I applaud my colleagues in the House for introducing a companion bill - a critical step toward getting this legislation signed into law," said Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE).

"Child care continues to shape the daily decisions of working families, influencing when and where parents can work and how they plan for the future," said Sarah Rittling, Executive Director of First Five Years Fund. "The Child Care Modernization Act provides an important opportunity to strengthen and sustain the child care sector while helping states better address child care needs in real time. Families can't press pause on their child care needs, and this legislation helps expand child care options and respond to families' needs today. We're so grateful to Representatives Ryan Mackenzie, Susie Lee, Ashley Hinson, and Kristin McDonald Rivet for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to working together to expand child care options for families."

"The moms who make up our 52 chapters across the country know how challenging it is to sit down and make a plan to afford childcare, which is the most expensive line item in many family budgets. The Child Care Modernization Act does something important for American families: it updates a program that's been sitting on the shelf since 2014, starts fixing how childcare providers get paid, and takes seriously the fact that too many parents have no good childcare options anywhere near them. That matters. We need this bill-and then we need to keep going." said Erin Erenberg, CEO, Chamber of Mothers.

"This bipartisan bill reflects a shared understanding that our child care system can only thrive when we invest in both sides of the equation-helping families afford and access high-quality care and ensuring early educators and programs have the resources to provide it," said Jen DeBell, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children. "We are especially encouraged by the provisions that require child care subsidy provider rates to be based on the true cost of delivering high-quality care, including the compensation needed to recruit and retain a qualified workforce. Coupled with efforts to expand access to child care subsidies for families, this legislation represents meaningful progress toward a stronger early learning system."

"CCDBG has been a cornerstone bipartisan program for decades-but it hasn't been reauthorized in over ten years, and the gaps are showing. New Bipartisan Policy Center polling finds nearly half of caregivers struggle to find care that meets their needs, and 60% say difficulty accessing care caused someone in their household to miss work, reduce hours, or change jobs in the past year. A system that doesn't reach families isn't serving today's workforce or building tomorrow's. The Child Care Modernization Act takes a critical step by modernizing the way CCDBG works to better meet the real needs of working families. We commend Reps. Mackenzie (R-PA), McDonald Rivet (D-MI), Hinson (R-IA), and Lee (D-NV) for their cross-party leadership and urge Congress to advance this bill," said Michele Stockwell, president of Bipartisan Policy Center Action.

"The Child Care Modernization Act is precisely the innovative policymaking we need in this moment of affordability crisis. Not only are parents struggling with bills, but child care providers are as well. Any effort that moves payments closer to the true cost of care for child care providers will alleviate burden on the system and thus reduce costs for working parents. We are thrilled to see this kind of bipartisan leadership in Congress," said Mai Miksic, Executive Director, Children First

Additionally, this legislation is supported by Afterschool Alliance, Alliance of New York State YMCAs, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, Child Care Aware of America, Children First PA, Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC), Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, First Five Nebraska, First Five Years Fund, Groundwork Ohio, Home Grown, Independent Restaurant Coalition, KinderCare Learning Companies, Learning Care Group, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), Moms First, Michigan's Children, Mission Readiness, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Head Start Association (NHSA), National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), National Child Care Association, National Children's Facilities Network, National Conference of State Legislatures, Ready Nation, Save the Children, SCAN Iowa Start Early, Tootris, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of the USA, and Zero to Five Montana.

The Child Care Modernization Act makes several key changes to the existing CCDBG, including:

• Creating new grants for high-quality providers to facilitate the construction and renovation of child care facilities.
• Directing states to update their CCDBG reimbursement rates to child care providers in order to more accurately reflect the true cost of these services.
• Helping to eliminate unnecessary red tape which excessively burdens small, rural, and home-based child care providers.
• Building a support structure for home-based providers, enabling the sharing of best practices and technical assistance.
• Permitting states the ability to request greater flexibility on income caps for CCDBG grants.

Congressman Mackenzie has made expanding access to child care a hallmark of his first term in Congress. The first package of bills he introduced - the Working Families Tax Package - included legislation to double the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit as well as the employer-provided childcare credit. Congressman Mackenzie successfully ensured that expansions of both credits were included in the Working Families Tax Cuts. The Congressman has also supported programs like Head Start - successfully advocating for additional funding and bringing a Head Start teacher to the 2026 State of the Union.

Full bill text available HERE.