Increasing the Ability to Transfer TANF to CCDF Is Not the Answer to Unmet Child Care Needs

Publication Date: April 2002

Publisher: Center for Law and Social Policy

Author(s): Rachel Schumacher

Research Area: Social conditions

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

On April 10th, Rep. Wally Herger introduced the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act of 2002, H.R. 4090. It would provide no increase in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funding, but it includes a provision to increase the amount of funding that states could transfer from TANF to CCDF from 30 to 50 percent.

This paper argues that increased transferability from TANF to CCDF will not increase the amount of funding available to states to use for child care assistance for low-income families, and it may actually contribute to further destabilization of state child care subsidy programs.