Building Child Care for a Better Future Act

Increased Child Care Funding: The bill appropriates $20,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to increase the supply and quality of child care, access to child care, and the workforce (Section 2(a)).

Support for Indian Tribes and Territories: Specific amounts are reserved for grants to Indian tribes and tribal organizations (5 percent) and territories (4 percent) to support their specific child care needs (Section 2(a); Section 3(a)(2)(B)).

Improved Workforce Compensation: The bill allows for the recruitment and retention of an effective workforce through increased compensation, including wage supplements, bonuses, and ensuring a living wage (Section 3(a)(4)(A)(iv)(VIII)).

Facility Improvements and Stability: Funding can be used for the purchase or improvement of land, major renovations, or the construction of buildings to upgrade child care facilities (Section s 3(a)(4)(A)(iv)(IX)).

Targeted Assistance for High-Need Areas: The bill directs grants to improve child care in areas of particular need, focusing on increasing supply, quality, and access (Section 3(a)).

Support for Diverse Needs: Priority is given to services that serve dual language learners, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, infants, and toddlers (Section 3(a)(6)(B)(ii)).

State Expenditure Requirements: States receiving these grants must certify that they will maintain a minimum level of their own general revenue expenditures for child care assistance, which requires them to supplement rather than replace their current spending (Section 3(a)(5)(C)).

Federal Interest in Facilities: For certain facility projects, the Secretary will retain a Federal interest for a period of 10 years, except in the case of privately-owned family child care homes (Section 3(a)(4)(C)(i)(ii)).