Rep. Rosa DeLauro has teamed with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in proposing a $200 million annual fund to boost the pay, benefits and training of child-care workers.
At a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday, the two Democrats said they plan to introduce legislation that would allow states to improve the quality as well as compensation and support for child-care centers and home-based providers through a federal block grant program.
"We all agree that children need good teachers in order to learn and they should receive the highest quality care as early as possible," said DeLauro, D-3.
Clinton said that child-care providers are "underpaid and overwhelmed" earning on average $18,820 a year without health-care insurance or paid sick days. As a result, many are leaving the field entirely and making it more difficult for working families to find quality affordable day care.
"Let's provide the resources to attract good people," Clinton said.
Under the legislation, states will be able to distribute the $200 million to public and private child-care centers and home-based child centers, with a maximum of 30 percent of funding directed to non-center-based providers. Funding can be used toward compensation or benefits for child-care providers, as well as continuing education and training.
Pamela Stewart, a child-care provider from Benton Harbor, Mich., said that states need help in financing child care for low-income families. Her state has barely increased the hourly per-child rate it pays providers who care for children from low-income families, she said.
"I started at $1.50 an hour and 29 years later it is $1.90 an hour.
"What's wrong with this picture?" Stewart said.
DeLauro said the bill will likely be submitted soon but she does not expect it will get serious legislative attention until next year.
But, Wednesday's news conference could help Clinton now in her bid for the White House. As a presidential candidate, she has been courting labor unions to endorse her in Democratic primaries.
The National Women's Law Center, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the Service Employees International Union helped organize Wednesday's press conference.
The nonprofit National Women's Law Center has been advocating for home-based child-care providers to organize, and AFSCME and SEIU are leading the way.
Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin have authorized in the past two years union representation and negotiation with the state on behalf of home-based providers.
Last month, Maryland's home-based child-care providers voted to give themselves the right to join SEIU. AFSCME represents about 300,000 child-care workers nationally.
In a tacit acknowledgement of the presidential overtones of the event, DeLauro credited Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd for inspiring her on children's issues. Dodd, whose Senate office was down the hall from the press conference, is also running for president.