What is in the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021” for Early Childhood Education and Care?
Yesterday, Congress passes a bill called The “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021” which actually combines 12 other appropriations bills. You can read the bill which is 5,593 pages long here: https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/BILLS-116HR133SA-RCP-116-68.pdf
However, I am guessing you do not want to read all 5,593 pages.
Overall, there is about 10 billion that goes to the child care sector which is much less than a previous bill in The House earlier this year.
On page 1834 of The “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021” we start to get the most information about issues related to early childhood education and care. I have cut and pasted a big block of text from that section below.
“ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 11 PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR THE CHILD CARE AND 12 DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT 13 For an additional amount for ‘‘Payments to States 14 for the Child Care and Development Block Grant’’, 15 $10,000,000,000 to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 16 coronavirus, domestically or internationally which shall be 17 used to supplement, not supplant State, Territory, and 18 Tribal general revenue funds for child care assistance for 19 low-income families within the United States (including 20 territories) without regard to requirements in sections 21 658E(c)(3)(D)–(E), or 658G of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (‘‘CCDBG Act’’): Provided, That 23 funds appropriated under this heading in this Act may be 24 used for costs of providing relief from copayments and tuition payments for families and for paying that portion of December 21, 2020 (12:59 p.m.) 1827 U:\2021OMNI\Final\DivA-M2.xml SEN. APPRO. 1 the child care provider’s cost ordinarily paid through family copayments to provide continued payments and assistance to child care providers in the case of decreased enrollment or closures related to coronavirus, and to assure they 5 are able to remain open or reopen as appropriate and applicable, including for fixed costs and increased operating 7 expenses: Provided further, That States, Territories, and 8 Tribes are encouraged to place conditions on payments to 9 child care providers that ensure that child care providers 10 use a portion of funds received to continue to pay the salaries and wages of staff: Provided further, That lead agencies may use funds provided under this heading in this 13 Act to support the stability of the child care sector to help 14 providers afford increased operating expenses during the 15 COVID–19 public health emergency, and shall publicize 16 widely the availability of, and provide technical assistance 17 to help providers apply for, funding available for such pur18 poses, including among center-based child care providers, 19 family child care providers, and group home child care 20 providers: Provided further, That lead agencies are encour21 aged to implement enrollment and eligibility policies that 22 support the fixed costs of providing child care services by 23 delinking provider reimbursement rates from an eligible 24 child’s absence and a provider’s closure due to the 25 COVID–19 public health emergency: Provided further, December 21, 2020 (12:59 p.m.) 1828 U:\2021OMNI\Final\DivA-M2.xml SEN. APPRO. 1 That the Secretary shall remind States that Child Care 2 and Development Block Grant (‘‘CCDBG’’) State plans 3 do not need to be amended prior to utilizing existing authorities in the CCDBG Act for the purposes provided 5 herein: Provided further, That States, Territories, and 6 Tribes are authorized to use funds appropriated under this 7 heading in this Act to provide child care assistance to 8 health care sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, farmworkers, and other workers deemed 10 essential during the response to coronavirus by public officials, without regard to the income eligibility requirements 12 of section 658P(4) of such Act: Provided further, That 13 States, Territories, and Tribes shall use a portion of funds 14 appropriated under this heading in this Act to provide assistance to eligible child care providers under section 16 658P(6) of the CCDBG Act that were not receiving 17 CCDBG assistance prior to the public health emergency 18 as a result of the coronavirus and any renewal of such 19 declaration pursuant to such section 319, for the purposes 20 of cleaning and sanitation, and other activities necessary 21 to maintain or resume the operation of programs, including for fixed costs and increased operating expenses: Pro23 vided further, That funds provided under this heading in 24 this Act may be used to provide technical assistance to 25 child care providers to help providers implement practices December 21, 2020 (12:59 p.m.) 1829 U:\2021OMNI\Final\DivA-M2.xml SEN. APPRO. 1 and policies in line with guidance from State and local 2 health departments and the Centers for Disease Control 3 and Prevention regarding the safe provision of child care 4 services while there is community transmission of 5 COVID–19: Provided further, That funds appropriated 6 under this heading in this Act may be made available to 7 restore amounts, either directly or through reimbursement, for obligations incurred to prevent, prepare for, and 9 respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, 10 prior to the date of enactment of this Act: Provided further, That the Secretary may reserve not more than 12 $15,000,000 for Federal administrative expenses, which 13 shall remain available through September 30, 2024: Pro14 vided further, That no later than 60 days after the date 15 of enactment of this Act, each State, Territory, and Tribe 16 that receives funding under this heading in this Act shall 17 submit to the Secretary a report, in such manner as the 18 Secretary may require, describing how the funds appropriated under this heading in this Act will be spent and 20 that no later than 90 days after the date of enactment 21 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 22 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 23 Senate, the Committee on Education and Labor of the 24 House of Representatives, and the Committee on Health, 25 Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report December 21, 2020 (12:59 p.m.) 1830 U:\2021OMNI\Final\DivA-M2.xml SEN. APPRO. 1 summarizing such reports from the States, Territories, 2 and Tribes: Provided further, That, no later than October 3 31, 2022, each State, Territory, and Tribe that receives 4 funding under this heading in this Act shall submit to the 5 Secretary a report, in such manner as the Secretary may 6 require, describing how the funds appropriated under this 7 heading in this Act were spent and that no later than 60 8 days after receiving such reports from the States, Territories, and Tribes, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 11 and the Senate, the Committee on Education and Labor 12 of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on 13 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a 14 report summarizing such reports from the States, Territories, and Tribes: Provided further, That such amount is 16 designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. 19 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVICES PROGRAM 20 For an additional amount for ‘‘Children and Families 21 Services Programs’’, $250,000,000, to prevent, prepare 22 for, and respond to coronavirus, for making payments 23 under the Head Start Act, including for Federal administrative expenses, and allocated in an amount that bears 25 the same ratio to such portion as the number of enrolled December 21, 2020 (12:59 p.m.) 1831 U:\2021OMNI\Final\DivA-M2.xml SEN. APPRO. 1 children served by the agency involved bears to the number 2 of enrolled children by all Head Start agencies: Provided, 3 That none of the funds made available under this heading 4 in the Act shall be included in the calculation of the ‘‘base 5 grant’’ in subsequent fiscal years, as such term is defined 6 in sections 640(a)(7)(A), 641A(h)(1)(B), or 645(d)(3) of 7 the Head Start Act: Provided further, That funds made 8 available under this heading in this Act are not subject 9 to the allocation requirements of section 640(a) of the 10 Head Start Act: Provided further, That such funds may 11 be available to restore amounts, either directly or through 12 reimbursement, for obligations incurred to prevent, pre13 pare for, and respond to coronavirus, prior to the date 14 of enactment of this Act: Provided further, That such 15 amount is designated by the Congress as being for an 16 emergency requirement pursuant to section 17 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 18 Deficit Control Act of 1985.”
On page 1845 it discusses more money for things like COVID-19 testing and contact tracing that will go to child care programs along with other educational institutions.
