Davids Joins Shawnee Family for Day Care Pick-Up, Discusses Her Bipartisan Affordable Childcare Act

Yesterday, Representative Sharice Davids accompanied a Shawnee family to pick up their children from day care. Davids then joined the parents, who considered having one of them stay home from work due to high child care costs, to discuss her bipartisan Affordable Childcare Act. The bill doubles three different tax credits, putting money directly in parents’ pockets. According to a report, working parents with young children are spending 24 percent of their income on child care, prompting urgent action to lower child care costs.

“Child care is essential not only for giving kids like Eli and Colby Zigtema a strong start, but also for allowing parents to earn a living and support their families," said Davids. "Growing up with a single mom, I know how much a little extra money in the bank account can mean. That’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation to help the Zigtemas and other hardworking Kansas families afford the quality child care they need.”

"Child care is by far and away our single biggest expense as a family, and it's a topic of conversation with every parent we know,” said Joe Zigtema and Paige McArdle, local parents. “Allowing working families to pay that expense with pre-tax money is a no-brainer ­— parents need all the help they can get."

Davids’ bipartisan Affordable Childcare Act, which she introduced earlier this year alongside Representative Marc Molinaro (R-NY-19), would:

• Double the Child and Dependent Care Credit, whichhelps families offset the cost of child care and dependent care expenses, allowing them to claim a percentage of these expenses on their federal income tax return.
  • The Affordable Childcare Actdoubles the Credit to $6,000 for one dependent and $12,000 for two or more, helping working families afford child care as costs rise.
• Double the Employer-Provided Child Care Credit, which allows businesses to claim a credit for providing child care facilities or services to their employees, encouraging employers to support their workers' child care needs.
  • The Affordable Childcare Actdoublesthe Credit to $300,000 per year, covering 25 percent of qualified child care facility expenses and 10 percent of child care resource and referral expenses, to encourage businesses to invest more in child care.
• Double the amount a person can contribute to a dependent care flexible spending account, which is an employer-sponsored benefit that allows employees to set aside pre-tax money to cover eligible dependent care expenses.
  • The Affordable Childcare Act doubles the account contribution limit to $10,000, enabling parents to save and utilize more pre-tax dollars for qualifying caregiving expenses.

Davids has worked diligently to bring down child care costs and improve access in Kansas. This year, she voted to support legislation that would expand the Child Tax Credit, direct payments to parents benefiting 136,000 children in Kansas. She also toured a local child care facility to highlight how federal investments have supported the workforce and daily operations of local child care small businesses. Finally, she has visited and announced federal resources for multiple Head Start programs in Kansas’ Third District, including Kansas City Kansas Public School's Successful Beginnings, The Family Conservancy, the University of Kansas Medical Center's Project Eagle, and Growing Futures Early Education Center.