Late last night, House Speaker, Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that a deal was reached on the FY 2016 budget and unveiled a $1.15 trillion spending bill that would fund the government thru September 30, 2016. This bi-partisan bill includes very favorable funding levels for programs that support low-income children and their families and early education, including:

This morning, President Obama signed S. 1177 (Conference Report H 114-354), the “Every Student Succeeds Act,” into law at a bi-partisan ceremony at the White House. The President was joined by Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, along with Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA), the senior leaders on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, as well as Congressmen John Kline (R-MN) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) from the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and other key congressional members and advocates.

Arlington, VA – The 2015 Parents and the High Cost of Child Care report released today by Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) shows a continued trend of child care costs that put a strain on families, rivaling what the average family pays for one year of college tuition at a four year institution.  Further, the cost of full-time, center-based care for two children is the highest single household expense in most parts of the country.

Eleven million children younger than age five are in some form of child care in the United States. That is a pretty staggering number when you consider the cost of child care in this country – on both the family and provider sides of the equation.

Earlier this week, the House voted 359-64 and approved S. 1177 (the “Every Student Succeeds Act”), a measure that would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for the first time since 2002, ending an eight year effort to rewrite the legislation that was known as “No Child Left Behind.”  The Senate is expected to vote on this measure next week, where it’s expected to handily pass and head to President Obama for signature shortly after.  The White House has publicly endorsed S. 1177.

Over the past 18 months, Child Care Aware® of America staff and Public Policy committee has surveyed, interviewed, and conducted focus groups with parents of young children, grandparents, national child advocacy organizations, and state and local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies. During those conversations it was underscored that child care is an essential building block of any community and that investments in child care are investments in our children, our economy, and our future.