Biden's budget plan would boost childcare funding by billions of dollars
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[March 09, 2023]
By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden's fiscal 2024 budget plan
would boost federal funding for childcare and early childhood education
by billions of dollars, ensuring free preschool for all of the country's
4 million 4-year-olds, the White House said.
The proposal, which Biden will deliver to Congress on Thursday, revisits
several items included in Biden's 2023 budget proposal that were removed
during negotiations with Congress. Prospects for passage could be even
harder this year, given Republicans' slim majority in the House of
Representatives.
The White House argues that lack of access to affordable childcare is a
key factor depressing women's participation in the workforce. It cited a
Boston Consulting Group forecast that U.S. economic output could drop by
$290 billion a year beginning in 2030 if critical care shortages are not
addressed.
One recent poll showed that 55% of households experience difficulty
finding childcare, with 21% citing challenges related specifically to
cost, the White House said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
Administration officials said Biden would continue to push for higher
spending on the nation's "care economy," but could also take executive
action to push forward his agenda, such as last week's Commerce
Department announcement that firms seeking funds from a $52 billion U.S.
semiconductor manufacturing and research program will have to share
excess profits and explain how they plan to provide affordable
childcare.
Biden's budget is expected to include an expanded child tax credit that
he has pushed for years, and other measures that would help working
families, administration officials said.
Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House
Appropriations Committee, welcomed the proposed increases in spending
and Biden's renewed push on the child tax credit, saying she would work
to make the tax credit permanent.
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![](../images/030923PIX/news_u18.jpg)
U.S. President Joe Biden, flanked by
Allison Hessemer, a preschool teacher, speaks with a child as he
visits East End Elementary School in North Plainfield, New Jersey,
U.S., October 25, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Mar/09/images/ads/current/xamis_lda_ANIMAL_2023.png)
"Together, these programs will lower costs for working families and
provide needed financial stability to the working and middle class,”
DeLauro said in a statement.
Biden's 2024 proposal includes $22.1 billion for existing early care
and education programs, up 10.5% from the 2023 enacted level,
including $9 billion for federal block grants.
The White House said the higher level of funding, totaling some $400
billion over 10 years, would increase childcare options for 16
million more young children while lowering costs for parents.
The proposal also funds a federal-state partnership that would
provide high-quality, free preschool, expanding access to all
4-year-olds, a dramatic increase from the estimated 1.6 million
children now in preschool programs.
It drops Biden's previous request to fund universal preschool for
3-year-olds, choosing a more targeted approach this year, a White
House official said.
The 2024 plan would boost funding for Head Start programs by more
than 9% to $13.1 billion, with more than $500 million dedicated to
boost pay for Head Start teachers and staff, the White House said.
Higher federal funding for preschool would reach $200 billion over
10 years, it said.
The White House is betting that childcare programs, which are very
popular with the public, could help boost Biden's approval ratings.
The president is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024
presidential race this spring.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Mar/09/images/ads/current/charrons_bch_2022.png)
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in WashingtonEditing by Matthew Lewis,
Robert Birsel)
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