OU Commends Scott-Landrieu Amendment Supporting Current Child Care Funding Choice Policy

13 Mar 2014

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU), the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, commends Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for introducing Senate Amendment 2819 to the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (S. 1086).  This bipartisan amendment seeks to clarify the program’s continued support of child care certificates for early childhood education services in faith-based or other settings.

Nathan Diament, Executive Director of Public Policy of the Orthodox Union stated: “From its beginnings, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program was intended to offer low-income families a better choice in their child’s early education. A recent rule change by the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health & Human Services encourages the use of grants and contracts in awarding CCDBG funding to the detriment of certificates. This is at odds with legislated policy and thus the need for additional clarification. We thank Senators Scott and Landrieu for seeking to ensure that the parental choice component of CCDBG remains a guiding principle of the program for years to come.”

Read the whole story on the OU Advocacy website.