Rural Child Care Access Act

Infrastructure Improvements: Facilities can use funds to modify, upgrade, or construct buildings to improve child care provisions, provider training, recruitment, retention, or community engagement (Section 2(b)(1)).

Support for Small Communities: Grants are specifically authorized for facilities that serve jurisdictions with fewer than 50,000 residents (Section 2(a)).

Geographic Fairness: The Secretary is tasked with ensuring an equitable geographic distribution of grants among the regions of the United States (Section 2(d)(3)).

Transparency and Oversight: The Secretary must submit reports to Congress every two years regarding building progress, community impacts, and project needs (Section 2(d)(4)).

National Research: The Secretary is required to conduct and publish a study on the construction and renovation needs of a national sample of child care facilities (Section 3).

Strict Use of Funds: No part of the funds can be used for any part of a facility that does not have a substantial nexus to the specific goals of improving child care, provider training, recruitment, retention, or community engagement (Section 2(b)(2)).

Application Requirements: Facility heads must submit applications containing specific information, including cost estimates and a demonstration of financial need (Section 2(c)).