Senators Hassan, Cornyn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Streamline Access to Early Childhood Education Programs

Press Release

U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced a bill to help families access affordable early childhood education by helping streamline states' application systems, integrate technology systems, and eliminate duplicative paperwork.

"Without a streamlined system, many families applying to federally-funded early childhood education programs are left in the dark about what their children qualify for, and even once they do determine those programs, they are saddled with duplicative, confusing paperwork," said Senator Hassan. "My bipartisan bill would help consolidate states' early childhood education program applications so that parents can get their children the support that they need, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this commonsense bill."

The Improving Early Childhood Data Systems Act would create a new grant for states to streamline the application process for low-income families seeking child care through federally-funded programs. Specifically, states could use the funding to upgrade their technology and data systems and improve data coordination between the child care system and other programs that help families, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). As a result, when families apply for programs like these, they could be notified about what other programs they are eligible for, and their data could be used more effectively to coordinate program administration across the state.

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