HR5658-119

Introduced

To establish universal child care and early learning programs.

119th Congress Introduced Sep 30, 2025

At a Glance

Read full bill text

Legislative Progress

Introduced
Introduced Committee Passed
Sep 30, 2025

Ms. Sherrill (for herself, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, …

Primary Purpose

Establishes a universal, federally-funded child care and early learning program as an entitlement for all children below school age, administered through designated prime sponsors at the community level.

Policy Domains

Child Care Early Childhood Education Labor/Workforce Federal Grants Social Services

Legislative Strategy

"Create universal child care as an entitlement modeled on Head Start and military child care programs, with federal funding of at least 90% of costs and community-level administration"

Likely Beneficiaries

  • Working families with children below school age
  • Low-income families (receive full federal funding)
  • Child care workers (mandated living wages comparable to K-12 teachers)
  • Child care centers and family child care homes (receive federal funding)
  • Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian communities (100% federal funding)
  • Migrant and seasonal farmworker families (100% federal funding)

Likely Burden Bearers

  • Federal taxpayers (major new entitlement spending)
  • State governments (maintenance of effort requirements)
  • Some existing child care businesses (must meet new standards)
  • Child care programs (new compliance and reporting requirements)

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Child Care Early Childhood Education Workforce Development
Actor Mappings
"prime_sponsor"
→ State, locality, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, or public/private nonprofit agency designated by the Secretary
"the_committee"
→ Special Committee on Federal Standards for Child Care and Early Learning Services
"the_secretary"
→ Secretary of Health and Human Services
"delegate_provider"
→ Public or private agency contracted by prime sponsor to deliver services
Domains
Child Care Federal Grants
Actor Mappings
"the_secretary"
→ Secretary of Health and Human Services

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

6 terms
"low-income" §102_low_income

An individual in a family with a family income that is not more than 200 percent of the poverty line.

"covered child" §102_covered_child

A child who is not yet required to attend school under State compulsory attendance laws and meets the regulations issued under section 124.

"prime sponsor" §102_prime_sponsor

State, locality, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, or public or private nonprofit agency designated by the Secretary to receive funds and administer child care programs.

"full-working-day" §102_full_working_day

Not less than 10 hours per day.

"child care and early learning program" §102_child_care_program

Any program that provides child care and early learning services in child care and early learning centers (including schools) or in family child care homes.

"dual language learner" §102_dual_language_learner

A child who is acquiring two or more languages at the same time, or a child who is learning a second language while continuing to develop the child's first language.

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology