PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Sep 19, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-04 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Child Care Workforce Act would create a competitive grant program for states, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations to provide extra pay to eligible child care workers. Applicants would commit to helping low-wage workers, and recipients would pay supplements at least quarterly. Workers could choose whether to accept the payments and would receive information about possible effects on taxes and public benefits.
This Act may be cited as the Child Care Workforce Act.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this Act as the Secretary) shall establish a pilot program to award competitive grants to States, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers.
a commitment to using the grant funds to supplement the wages of low-wage eligible child care workers
(1) disburse the wage supplements to eligible child care workers not less frequently than quarterly; (2) target grant funding based on the areas described in section 4(c)(3)(B); (3) provide to eligible child care workers education on any effect the wage supplements may have on taxes or public benefit eligibility; and (4) inform eligible child care workers that acceptance, of the wage supplements, is voluntary.
The bill's stated goals are to attract and retain child care workers, improve their well-being and service quality, and increase access to affordable child care. These are intended outcomes, not established results.
The purpose of this Act is to establish a pilot program to increase the supply of quality child care services by providing funding to States, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations to implement or strengthen programs to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers, in order to— (1) attract and retain eligible child care workers; (2) improve eligible child care worker well-being; (3) improve the quality of child care services; and (4) increase the availability of affordable child care services.
Covered child care workers would be people whose primary, daily work is providing child care, including direct care and education, in centers or homes. Their providers would have to comply with applicable state or Tribal licensing, registration, or regulatory requirements.
The term child care worker means any individual whose primary and daily focus of work is— (A) providing child care services, including direct care and education services, to children for a family child care provider or other child care provider, or a provider of early childhood education, that is in compliance with any licensing or registration standards, or regulations, of the State, Indian Tribe, or Tribal organization involved; and (B) providing the child care services in a center-based or home-based setting.
The bill includes the District of Columbia and the listed U.S. territories within its definition of a state. It incorporates definitions of Indian Tribe and Tribal organization from other federal laws.
(2) Indian Tribe The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). (3) State The term State means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (4) Tribal organization The term Tribal organization has the meaning given the term tribal organization in section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n).
The Secretary of Health and Human Services would administer the competitive grants. Selection would have to consider the number of children under five, the number and average wages of child care workers, the share of families eligible for child care subsidies who do not receive them, and the need for additional workers.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this Act as the Secretary) shall establish a pilot program to award competitive grants to States, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers.
the Secretary shall consider— (1) the number of children under the age of 5 residing in the State or on the Tribal land of the Indian Tribe or Tribal organization; (2) the number of child care workers working in licensed, regulated, or registered programs in the State or on the Tribal land; (3) the average wage of child care workers working in the State or on the Tribal land; (4) the percentage of families in the State or on the Tribal land who are eligible for child care subsidies under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.) but do not receive the subsidies; and (5) the need for additional child care workers in the State or on the Tribal land.
Applicants would have to demonstrate significant need for more child care workers and higher wages, commit to supporting low-wage eligible workers, and specify worker eligibility criteria. The Secretary could set application timing, format, and additional information requirements.
a State, Indian Tribe, or Tribal organization shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— (1) information showing a significant need for increased numbers of child care workers and increased wages among child care workers; (2) a commitment to using the grant funds to supplement the wages of low-wage eligible child care workers; (3) a plan for using the grant funds to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers, including— (A) the criteria that will be used to determine which child care workers are eligible to receive the wage supplements
(8) such other information as the Secretary may require.
Applicants would have to explain how funding would prioritize areas with the greatest need, and grant recipients would have to target funding accordingly. The listed needs include staffing difficulties, underserved locations, and shortages of programs serving low-income families, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, or families needing care during nontraditional hours.
(B) a description of how funds will be prioritized for areas with greatest need, including areas with overall staffing challenges, underserved geographic areas, areas with shortages of programs that serve low-income children and families, and areas with shortages of programs that serve infants and toddlers, that serve children with disabilities, or that offer child care services during nontraditional hours
(2) target grant funding based on the areas described in section 4(c)(3)(B)
Applicants would have to explain how payments would reach workers promptly, whether directly, through employers, or through trusted intermediaries. They would also need a public awareness plan and measures for assessing the program's effects on workers and child care services.
(C) a description of how the wage supplements will be provided to eligible child care workers (directly, through the employer, or through a trusted intermediary) and how the supplements will be provided in a timely manner; (4) a plan to engage in a public awareness campaign directed at eligible child care workers; (5) a description of the measures that will be used to assess the impact of the wage supplement pilot program on attraction and retention of eligible child care workers, eligible child care worker well-being, child care services quality, and availability of affordable child care services, provided by eligible child care workers
Applications would have to explain how the pilot fits into the state's or Tribe's broader worker compensation plan and how possible disruption after grant funds run out would be addressed and minimized.
(6) a description of how the pilot program will contribute to the State’s or Tribe’s overall plan for increasing eligible child care worker compensation; (7) a description of the plan for addressing and minimizing any destabilization that may occur after the grant funds are expended
Grant funds would have to be used solely for wage supplements, except that recipients could use up to 10 percent for administering payments, financial counseling for eligible workers, and public awareness campaigns.
Except as provided in subsection (c), a State, Indian Tribe, or Tribal organization that receives a grant under section 4 shall use the grant funds solely to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers.
The State, Indian Tribe, or Tribal organization may use not more than 10 percent of the grant funds to pay for administrative costs associated with the administration of payments to eligible child care workers, financial counseling for eligible child care workers, including as described in subsection (b)(3), and public awareness campaigns to make child care workers aware of the availability of such payments.
Recipients would have to distribute supplements at least quarterly, educate eligible workers about any effects on taxes or public benefit eligibility, and tell them that accepting payments is voluntary.
(1) disburse the wage supplements to eligible child care workers not less frequently than quarterly; (2) target grant funding based on the areas described in section 4(c)(3)(B); (3) provide to eligible child care workers education on any effect the wage supplements may have on taxes or public benefit eligibility; and (4) inform eligible child care workers that acceptance, of the wage supplements, is voluntary.
The Secretary would have to evaluate worker recruitment and retention, worker well-being, child care quality, and the availability of affordable care. A report with the evaluation results would be due to Congress within two years after the pilot is implemented.
The Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program to assess its effectiveness in— (1) attracting and retaining eligible child care workers; (2) improving eligible child care worker well-being and the quality of child care services; and (3) increasing the availability of affordable child care services.
Not later than 2 years after the date on which the pilot program is implemented, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress containing the results of the evaluation.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide whatever funding is necessary for fiscal year 2025 and each subsequent fiscal year. This authorizes future funding without specifying a dollar amount or itself providing an appropriation.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025 and each subsequent fiscal year.
If enacted, the bill would take effect 75 days after enactment.
This Act shall take effect 75 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 19, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Education and Workforce on March 4, 2025. It does not establish the bill's subsequent legislative outcome.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-19T23:29:28Z. 2025-03-04: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2025-03-04: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-04. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish the contents or attachment history of other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; the source set does not establish formal earmark status in accompanying materials or other versions.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential exception was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Coverage of intended program beneficiaries and needs-based priorities alone does not constitute such a finding. This conclusion is limited to the supplied version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 19, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI