At Educare in Waterville, King Underscores Need for Affordable Childcare for Maine Families

Press Release

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today visited Educare Central Maine, a state-of-the-art early learning center, where he underscored the importance of affordable childcare for working families across Maine and the country. During the visit, Senator King spoke with parents and childcare professionals about the Promoting Affordable Childcare for Everyone (PACE) Act, bipartisan legislation he re-introduced with Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) that would update the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to make it more useful to American families.

"The high costs of childcare can make it difficult for many parents to balance the responsibilities of work with the responsibilities of their family. Some parents who want to work may even have to forego job opportunities to stay at home, or seek substandard care, because of these high costs," Senator King said. "It's time that Congress step up and lend working parents a hand by updating an existing federal tax credit to bring it into line with the realities faced by parents today. Doing so will help parents and help our economy."

For too many families, the cost of childcare can make it difficult to maintain employment and make ends meet. In nearly half of the country, the annual cost of full-time childcare for a 4-year old is greater than the average cost of in-state tuition at a 4-year college or university. Those pressures are felt most by low-wage workers who spend on average more than 30 percent of their income on childcare.

While the federal government provides two significant tax benefits to help offset childcare costs -- the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) -- they are both in need of an update. For example, neither policies have kept pace with inflation, meaning they have become less useful over time as the cost of childcare increases.

The PACE Act would enact several changes to make both tax policies immediately more generous and modify them to reflect the changing economic landscape by requiring an annual inflation adjustments that will provide working parents with greater purchasing power when seeking care for their children. Because both tax provisions affect care for the elderly and individuals with disabilities, those enhanced benefits will extend to them as well.

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