Kaine introduces bills he hopes will make child care more accessible and affordable

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Keeping up with the rising cost of child care is a challenge for families across Virginia.

Allison Gilbreath, Senior Director of Policy and Programs at Voices for Virginia’s Children, told 8News that parents, like herself, are often faced with the choice of continuing to work or having to quit their jobs in order to provide child care for their children.

Senator Tim Kaine (D- Virginia) says he has a plan to make child care more accessible and affordable for families across America. Kaine has introduced two bills to expand several existing programs including a tax credit for parents who pay for child care, and another program that allows employers to claim a tax credit if they provide child care for their employees.

“It might save a family $300 to $400 a month on their child care bill,” Gilbreath said.

Plus, Kaine’s plan calls for the creation of a grant program that would allow localities to supplement child care provider’s pay in an effort to tackle a provider shortage.

“Child care employees on average make about $13 an hour, which is substantially low. The benefits in this package would help increase those salaries and therefore allow more people to return to the workforce,” Gilbreath said.

Gilbreath said access to affordable child care is critical to keeping Virginia’s economy moving.

“Employers are realizing if the state doesn’t have a good child care infrastructure, they are not going to come to the state and that means it limits the opportunities to all Virginians,” Gilbreath told 8News.

Kaine introduced both bills with Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt, meaning they enjoy at least some bipartisan support.

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