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Pilot program to increase payments for child care services in high-cost areas

Division A · Title V: MILITARY PERSONNEL POLICY · Subtitle H: Family Programs, Child Care, and Dependent Education

Plain-language summaryAI

The bill allows the Secretary of Defense to create a pilot program that gives grants to child care providers in high-cost areas to help them expand infant and toddler care. Providers receiving grants must reserve at least half of the new spots for children of military members for ten years without displacing current non-military children. The Secretary must report regularly to Congress on the program’s progress, challenges, and whether it should be made permanent, with the pilot program ending after five years.

AI-generated from this section’s text — a quick orientation, not a substitute for the full text below. Not legal advice.

Section Text · Sec. 572.
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(1)

by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsection (d) and (e), respectively; and

(2)

by inserting after subsection (b) the following new subsection:

(c) Pilot program for grants to increase infant and toddler capacity in high-cost areas

(1)

The Secretary of Defense may establish a pilot program to provide grants to eligible providers seeking to expand the capacity of such providers to provide care for infants and toddlers.

(2)

A grant awarded under the pilot program established under paragraph (1) shall—

(A)

be in an amount determined by the Secretary, but in no case more than 75 percent of the estimated cost of the expansion for which the grant is provided; and

(B)

require the recipient of a grant to—

(i)

make available not less than half of any additional capacity for infants and toddlers to children of members of the armed forces that results from the expansion for which a grant is awarded for the 10-year period that begins on the date on which such expansion is completed; and

(ii)

certify that the recipient will not displace children enrolled on the date described in clause (i) who are not children of members of the armed forces to meet the requirement of clause (i).

(3)

The Secretary—

(A)

shall award grants under the pilot program established under paragraph (1) to not less than 10 eligible providers located in areas with high child care services costs or a significant lack of accessible child care services, as determined by the Secretary; and

(B)

may award grants under the pilot program established under paragraph (1) to eligible providers located in other areas as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(4)

Not later than one year after the establishment of the pilot program under this subsection, and semiannually thereafter until the date of the termination of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the pilot program that includes—

(A)

the number of eligible providers participating in the pilot program, disaggregated by location;

(B)

the number of additional infant and toddler enrollments at eligible providers made available under the pilot program, disaggregated by loacation;

(C)

the determination of the Secretary as to whether grants provided under the pilot program—

(i)

helped reduce child care costs for applicable military families;

(ii)

increased child care provider participation in the financial assistance available under this section; and

(iii)

increased access to infant and toddler care for military families;

(D)

the determination of the Secretary with respect to the feasibility of expanding the pilot program to all communities;

(E)

any challenges identified by the Secretary in carrying out the pilot program;

(F)

legislation or administrative action that the Secretary determines necessary to make the pilot program permanent; and

(G)

any other information the Secretary determines appropriate.

(5)

Not later than 90 days after the date of the termination of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes—

(A)

the elements specified in subparagraphs (A) through (G) of paragraph (4); and

(B)

the recommendation of the Secretary as to whether to make the pilot program permanent.

(6)

The pilot program established under this subsection shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date on which such program is established.

(7)

In this subsection, the term appropriate congressional committees means—

(A)

the congressional defense committees;

(B)

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and

(C)

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.