Child care is a necessity for many of today’s American families, especially low- and middle-income families, yet the cost of accessing high-quality care often rivals the cost of housing.

For four years running, the First Five Years Fund’s annual national bipartisan poll shows that early childhood education and care is a national priority for Americans, regardless of party. Even now, in the midst of an angry and polarized election, 90 percent of voters agree on one thing: Congress and the next president should work together to make quality early childhood education and care more accessible and affordable to low- and middle-income families. That includes 78 percent of Trump supporters and 97 percent of Clinton supporters.

Following the expiration of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 last fall, Congress has the opportunity to expand child nutrition programs to address the growing needs of families as well as extend access nationwide.

I have always worked in the nonprofit sector, but I found my calling 14 years ago when I began as the Executive Director of Child Care Aware® of Minnesota. Formerly the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network, Child Care Aware® of Minnesota serves as the backbone to 14 agencies that support child care providers, families, and children in Minnesota. We are a statewide system of agencies that have helped more than 600,000 families find quality child care and have supported the professional growth of more than 100,000 child care professionals.

Senator and Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, opened the Senate floor debate on the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014. The bipartisan reauthorization will expand access to and improve the quality of child care for the more than 1.5 million children and families that benefit from the federal child care subsidy program.