Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts)
Many of the recent proposals will likely be funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds—even if governors aren’t making that explicit, said Anne Hedgepeth, deputy chief of policy for Child Care Aware of America, a nonprofit that works with child care resource and referral agencies and advocates for child care policies.
“You see relief [funds] driving it,” she said.
Some states have started distributing the federal child care funds, but others still are working on their plans for the money.
That’s partly due to timing, Hedgepeth said. In some states, legislatures need to approve the spending and didn’t have time to do so last session.
