Child Care Issues in the 108th Congress

Publication Date: September 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Social conditions

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Abstract:

The 108th Congress inherited several child care-related agenda items from the previous Congress: possible reauthorization of both the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the welfare block grant (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and FY2003 appropriations for many programs, including child care-related programs under the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education. In addition to the variety of federal programs administered by HHS and the Department of Education that support child care or related services, there are tax provisions to assist families with the cost of child care.

The task of passing an FY2003 appropriations measure was completed in the form of the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution 2003, signed into law (P.L. 1087) on February 20, 2003. Among other funding, the law includes $2.1 billion (subject to a rescission of $13.6 million) in discretionary funds for the CCDBG and $6.668 billion for Head Start. Moreover, the law extends mandatory child care funding and TANF block grant funding (both of which expired at the end of FY2002) for a third quarter of FY2003 (at the same rate of funding as in FY2002), while each program anticipates reauthorization by this Congress.

Two weeks prior to the signing of the FY2003 appropriations law, the Administration released the President's budget request for FY2004. The Administration proposes to maintain level funding for the CCDBG, TANF, and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), while providing increases for Head Start, Early Reading First, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants for infants and families. The budget requests cuts in funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Even Start. The FY2004 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations process is underway; the House and Senate have each passed versions of H.R. 2660, and conferees have been appointed to resolve differences.

In addition to the requested funding levels, the President's budget includes proposals to transfer the Head Start program from HHS to the Department of Education, and to offer states the opportunity to administer the Head Start program, both in the context of the program's reauthorization, which is due this year. The reauthorization bill passed by the House (H.R. 2210) on July 25, 2003 does not include the transfer proposal, but does include an eight-state demonstration program.

Other changes to the Head Start program, including a Strategic Teacher Education Program (STEP) and a national reporting system for assessing programs' effectiveness in producing positive outcomes for children with respect to school readiness, are currently underway, in keeping with the Administration's Good Start, Grow Smart Early Childhood Initiative, initially announced in April of 2002.

This report will be updated to reflect legislative activity.