Last week, in a bipartisan vote of 96-2, the United States Senate passed the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014. This vital bill calls for reauthorizing the block grant that provides child care subsidies for low-income parents so that they can work or participate in education or training programs.

According to the National Women’s Law Center, the newly reauthorized CCDBG would:

• Improve the health and safety of children in child care settings

• Make it easier for families to get and keep the child care assistance they need

• Enable children to have more stable care, and

• Strengthen the quality of child care

The block grant first become law in 1990, but hasn’t been reauthorized since 1996. Before this new version of CCDBG can become law, it must be passed by the House.

“I introduced this legislation to ensure that child care across America is available, affordable, reliable, safe, and exceptional,” Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said in a press release. “Child care is something all families worry about regardless of their zip code or the size of their wallet. We all say that children are one of our most important resources — which means that child care is one of our most important decisions.”

“Our working together made sure that our hardest working parents have access to quality, safe child care,” Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the bill’s co-sponsor, said in a statement. “Through years of negotiations, meetings with hundreds of interested stakeholders, and honest conversations with my colleagues in the Senate, we have taken a positive step toward ensuring our kids are protected while in child care. This is a good day for the United States Senate, our working parents, and their children. I urge my colleagues in the House to pass this legislation.”

The bill calls on states to make a number of policy changes. Among these are requirements to improve the safety and quality of child care programs.

The news site Politico explains that the bill, “would require employers to perform background checks on child care workers for the first time; create a website that allows parents to view local child care services; and place a greater emphasis on the quality of child care — a big priority for advocates,” and “At Republican’s bidding, it also would be careful to not overregulate.”

Education Week says, “The measure would also require states to hold child-care and after-school providers to basic health and safety standards, such as requiring staff to be trained on hand-washing and infant sleep procedures.”

In addition, “The measure would smooth the way for parents to hang on to their child-care vouchers despite fluctuations in income, by requiring states to allow families to prove they are eligible for the program just once a year.”

And as the Senate’s summary of the bill explains, states would have to strengthen “coordination and alignment” to create a “more comprehensive early childhood education and care system.”

The Senate bill also includes an amendment introduced by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren that ensures early educators can access state and federal resources for postsecondary education and training. Warren said she is “pleased that the Senate has adopted my amendment to help connect these workers with financial aid programs that can get them the training they need without breaking the bank.”

Now the bill needs the approval of the House, where early, promising actions have already been taken. Politico reports, “House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) said in a statement that the Senate passage is ‘a step forward’ and announced his committee will hold a hearing on the child care law on March 25.”

“We’ve learned so much about children’s needs,” U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski said, explaining why this reauthorization is so important. As mounting research shows, providing children with high-quality early education and care prepares them for success in school and life.

We encourage the House to follow the Senate’s lead and reauthorize CCDBG – stay tuned for updates and advocacy opportunities in the weeks ahead.