Bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives supports rural childcare

Here's much of the press release issued by the offices of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), along with Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) and a number of female congresspersons from both sides of the aisle:  

Today, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-3) Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR-5), Tracey Mann (R-KS-1), and Yadira Caraveo (D-CO-8) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Expanding Childcare in Rural America (ECRA) Act of 2023 to improve the availability and quality, and lower the cost, of childcare in agricultural and rural communities.

The press release then includes quotes from a number of the sponsors, leading with Senator Brown (Ohio): 

Child care is far too expensive and too hard to find for Ohio families, and parents in rural Ohio face unique challenges. Farm communities often lack enough transportation infrastructure and don’t have enough high-quality child care providers, and rural parents are more likely to work non-traditional hours.  These are commonsense, bipartisan steps to make child care more affordable and accessible in rural communities, so that more Ohio parents can support their families.

Senator Marshall (Kansas) is next:  

Access to childcare is a top priority for both families and employers in every corner of Kansas.  With a few changes to the USDA’s Rural Development programs, which benefit our rural communities, we can build the necessary childcare infrastructure that puts our children on the right educational path and provides them with a strong foundation for the future.

Then comes this from Senator Smith (Minnesota), a member of the Senate Education Committee:  

Access to childcare is essential, but for too many families living in rural places, it is out of reach.  I’ve heard from Minnesotans who have to drive 50 miles to take their kids to childcare and from providers who are struggling to find and keep staff. This bill will help improve the quality, availability and affordability of childcare in rural communities to help ensure that parents have the ability to pursue their careers.

Representative Gluesenkamp Perez, one of few parents of young children in the House, states: 

Child care in rural communities like mine is next to impossible to find and afford. Before coming to Congress, my husband and I brought our son to our auto repair shop most days because there were no other child care options available.  Our bipartisan bill will make child care more accessible and affordable in rural communities so families can get the support they need no matter where they live.

Representative Caraveo invokes her profession: 

As a pediatrician, I’ve seen the toll it takes on families when they don’t have affordable, reliable childcare. That burden is even more present in rural communities, where there are fewer providers, and families may have to travel a great distance for childcare. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to ensure rural families have access to the low-cost, high-quality childcare they need and deserve.

The press release continues:  

The Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act would direct U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to authorize and prioritize projects that address the availability, quality, and cost of childcare in agricultural and rural communities through the following programs:

• The Community Facilities Program offers direct loans, loan guarantees and grants to develop or improve essential public services and facilities in communities across rural America.
• Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant offers grants to eligible public bodies and private, nonprofit organizations (such as states, counties, cities, townships, incorporated towns, villages, boroughs, authorities, districts, and Tribes located on Federal or state reservations) to provide technical assistance and/or training in support of the essential community facilities program.
• The Business & Industry Loan Guarantee Program provides loan guarantees to commercial lenders for loans to eligible rural businesses.The Rural Business Development Grant Program is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that have fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues.
• The Rural Innovation Strong Economy Grant Program offers grant assistance to create and augment high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of new businesses, support industry clusters and maximize the use of local productive assets in eligible low-income rural areas.
• The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) to provide microloans for microenterprise startups and growth through a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund; and provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro entrepreneurs.

The bill would also allow USDA to make awards through intermediaries such as, childcare resource and referral organizations, staffed family childcare networks, and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) with demonstrated expertise in the childcare sector.

The press release also lists a number of organizations supporting the bill and quotes representatives of several of them: 

“If it was feasible to make a living providing quality childcare in rural communities, there would not be a supply problem. The Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act addresses barriers to entry and offers support and resources to potential micropreneurs - thereby enabling America’s workforce to go to work. The Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development appreciates this effort to expand childcare access for working families and commends Senator Brown for making this issue a priority,” said Megan Riddlebarger COAD Executive Director.

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“The Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act paves the way for high-quality child care to exist in rural and agricultural communities that have long struggled with severe gaps in supply. This bill opens up existing funding streams to localities that identify child care as a barrier to attracting and retaining a robust and qualified workforce. The Early Care and Education Consortium is proud to endorse this bill, and our members are excited to work with rural and agricultural communities across America to develop scalable solutions that support the needs of working families,” said Sage Schaftel, Acting Executive Director, Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC).

“Rural communities face unique challenges in increasing access to quality child care for families,” said Linda Smith, Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Early Childhood Initiative. “Not only does limited access to care have long-term impacts on child development, but it also has an immediate impact on economic loss in rural communities. The Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act of 2023 establishes a pathway for rural communities to access capital, increase access to care, and connect families to critical child care resources. We applaud the Senators’ bipartisan work championing this issue and look forward to working with members of both parties on continued efforts.”

Postscript:  On June 11, 2023, Senator Tina Smith had this to say about Senator Roger Marshall, with whom she is co-sponsored this legislation, in relation to an entirely different topic:  Pride month and how it is appropriately commemorated: 

Smith wrote: "I won't be lectured on patriotism by someone who voted to overturn an election.  Pride is patriotic."

Smith was responding to Marshall's tweet, accompanied by a photo of the Pride Flag flying amidst U.S. Flags on the White House:  "This is a disgrace.  Not only is this a breach of the U.S. Flag Code, but it's a glaring example of the White Houses' [sic] incompetence and their insistence on putting a social agenda ahead of patriotism."