U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) reintroduced legislation this week to improve access to affordable child care for families with parents working nontraditional hours.
The After Hours Child Care Act would support expanding legitimate existing child care programs — or, in some cases, establishing new facilities — so parents can remain working outside of the traditional work hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In communities across America, major industries such as health care, advanced manufacturing, and logistics rely on workers for early morning or late-night shifts, as well as weekend availability. The proposed legislation would help fill these high-demand roles by removing barriers created by child care accessibility, especially in rural communities.
"Hoosier parents rely on affordable child care in order to work, advance their careers, and provide for their families," Young said in a statement. "Currently, child care options are extremely limited for families, especially in rural Indiana communities. Our legislation will help address the needs of working parents, enabling them to more easily pursue employment opportunities that best fit the need of their families."
"At a time when many families are struggling with high costs, we need to do more to help parents find and afford child care so that they can work and support their families, including when their jobs require early mornings, late nights, or weekend shifts," Hassan added. "This commonsense, bipartisan bill will help families across New Hampshire and the country access affordable child care that works with their schedules."
If enacted, the After Hours Child Care Act would:
- Expand capacity for an existing, legitimate child care program to serve families working nontraditional hours.
- Support efforts to establish an on-site child care program at a workplace.
- Ensure that federal funds supplement current efforts by requiring a 25% match.
- Require a report every two years on the bill's effectiveness in improving child care availability.
Several other senators, both Democrats and Republicans, also have joined the legislation, while a bipartisan companion bill was introduced in the House.
Young previously introduced the After Hours Child Care Act in the Senate in March 2023.
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