H.R. 7201

Child Care is Infrastructure Act

This bill establishes grants for child care facilities and higher education loan repayment and scholarship programs for child care educators, among other provisions.

The Administration for Children and Families must conduct long- and short-term assessments of child care infrastructure, including the effect of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on such facilities. The bill provides grants to (1) states to acquire, construct, or improve child care facilities, and (2) intermediary organizations with demonstrated experience in child care facilities financing to develop or finance child care facilities.

The bill further provides for education loan repayments of up to $6,000 per year for up to five years for early childhood educators who agree to work for certain child care providers. Additionally, the bill establishes a program for institutions of higher education to award grants of up to $3,000 per academic year to individuals who are enrolled in early childhood educator programs and agree to serve in a state-licensed early learning program.

Finally, the bill

• modifies and reauthorizes through FY2026 supports for campus-based child care for low-income parents enrolled in institutions of higher education,
• requires the Government Accountability Office to report about the impact of the tax credit for employer-provided child care, and
• requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to consider early learning facilities in planning and implementation grants under the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.