Facts In Action

Families with children with disabilities often have difficulty finding high quality child care for their children. This problem is compounded for low-income families, for whom it can be a struggle to find affordable, high quality care for any child.

This year, Congress will once again consider the reauthorization of the two statutes that support the development of young children with disabilities and their families — the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

A recent paper by the Center for Law and Social Policy examined the importance of high quality care and early intervention services for children with disabilities, and proposed recommendations for CCDBG and IDEA reauthorizations. Their suggestions include:

• Increase mandatory funding for CCDBG by $11.25 billion over five years
• Require states to include efforts to improve access to and the quality of child care services for low-income children with disabilities in state plans.
• Amend the Individualized Family Services Plan of IDEA to require a statement of the child care needs of the family, to assist families in accessing the services they need.

For more information:
contact: The Center for Law and Social Policy, 1015 15th Street, NW Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005, by phone at (202) 906-8000, or online at http://www.clasp.org.

Facts in Action, March/April 2003