The National Women’s Law Center is calling the child care proposals of the White House Task Force on the middle class an important step toward helping families afford the child care they need to succeed in these tough times.

According to Nancy Duff Campbell, NWLC co-president, “Child care is basic care that gives parents the support and peace of mind they need to be productive at work and provide for their children. It helps children learn and develop the skills they need to succeed in school and in life. But for many families, high quality child care is simply unaffordable or unattainable.

“The Child Care and Development Block Grant gives grants to states to offer child care assistance to lower-income working families and support state initiatives to bolster the quality of child care. The grants help families struggling to raise their standard of living to afford child care. We are pleased that the White House proposes to add $1.6 billion in block grants to allow 235,000 additional children to be served and to work with Congress to improve the quality of care through a reauthorization of CCDBG and a new Early Learning Challenge Fund currently being considered by the Senate."

She continued, “The additional funding is urgently needed. It will help struggling parents afford the child care they need to go to work and get ahead and allow states to make improvements in the child care system for all children."

The White House also proposes increasing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which offsets a part of the child and dependent care expenses that families incur in order to work. The proposal would significantly increase the credit for families making up to $85,000 per year, and families with incomes up to $115,000 would receive an increase in the credit. However, the White House proposal would not make the credit refundable, so families with little or no federal tax liability would receive little or no benefit. For example, a single mother with two children earning $30,000 would not be able to take advantage of the proposed improvements; and, in many states, she also would not be eligible for child care assistance through CCDBG.

The National Women's Law Center is a non-profit organization that has been working since 1972 to advance and protect women's legal rights. The Center focuses on major policy areas of importance to women and their families, including economic security, education, employment and health, with special attention given to the concerns of low-income women. For more information on the Center, visit www.nwlc.org.