Sen. Murray negotiates major funding for child care and Head Start

Across two major federal funding bills, Sen. Patty Murray has advocated for families and children.

Murray's local and national support includes important programs for children. 

Murray, a former Shoreline preschool teacher, negotiated a bill that provides a $1 billion increase for child care and early learning programs within Federal Health and Human Services (HHS).

• This includes $8.75 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program (CCDBG)—a $725 million or 9% increase over fiscal year 2023, when Murray secured a 30% boost for the program—and
• $12.27 billion for Head Start, a $275 million increase over last year’s funding level.

Sustained annual increases of federal investments in child care and Head Start are critical in tackling the child care crisis and helping to ensure more families can find and afford the quality, affordable child care and early childhood education options they need.

“Parents, small businesses, and just about everyone says again and again that child care is unaffordable and too hard to find in every part of our state,” said Senator Murray. 

“I worked hard to secure a $1 billion boost for child care and early learning programs in this bill to help lower child care costs for more families in Washington state—we have a lot more that needs to get done, but I’ll keep pushing for progress every way I can.”

In addition, she accomplished the following:

Expanding Child Care Options for Military Families

• In this year’s defense funding bill, Senator Murray secured $167 million to fully fund the Department of Defense’s (DOD) child care initiatives. This includes a $66.5 million increase in funding over fiscal year 2023 to support universal, full-day pre-K, which will double enrollment from 1,810 to 3,625 children of servicemembers. It also includes new resources to recruit, support, and retain staff at DOD’s child development centers—including $33 million to provide a 50% discount for the first child of center staff. It also invests an additional $20 million above the budget request in the renovation and repair of DOD’s child development centers.

• Separately, Senator Murray secured $277 million in this year’s military construction funding bill to establish six new child development centers on installations to provide military families with more child care options—and she secured $59.5 million above the President’s budget request for the design of additional child development centers. Senator Murray authorized dedicated funding for the construction of child care facilities on military bases in 2019 through the NDAA and has delivered strong funding to support child care for servicemembers since then.

Protecting Child Care Options for Parents Pursuing a Higher Education

• In this year’s LHHS bill, Senator Murray protected full funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which helps low-income parents pursue a higher education by supporting campus-based child care programs. The bill provides $75 million for the program—protecting existing funding and rejecting House Republicans’ proposal to eliminate the program altogether.

Eliminating Barriers for Veterans in Need of Child Care While Getting Care

• In this year’s Veterans Affairs funding bill, Senator Murray secured $23 million to expand the successful Child Care Pilot Program she established in 2010, which helps eliminate barriers for veterans in need of child care while attending medical appointments.

Easing Child Care Barriers for Parents Working in Congress

• In this year’s legislative branch funding bill, Senator Murray secured language authorizing Senate offices to—for the first time—use their existing budgets to provide child care subsidies to staff to better ensure working parents can serve their communities by working in Congress.