Child Care Bill Passed in Senate

Thursday evening the Senate passed the Dodd-Jeffords Child Care Amendment, increasing the funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to $2 billion for fiscal year 2000. The CCDBG is a flexible fund that allows parents to choose the kind of care that their children will receive. Despite strong bipartisan support at both the national at state levels, the CCDBG is grossly under funded. Only one in ten eligible children currently receive CCDBG funds.