Promoting Quality Child Care

States and Territories are required to spend at least 4 percent of their CCDF allocation on quality activities. In addition, CCDF also includes targeted funds for quality enhancement, initiatives to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers, initiatives to improve school-age care, and child care resource and referral services. States use CCDF dollars to fund a variety of innovative efforts to improve the quality of care. Quality activities include provider staff training, grants and loans to providers, health and safety improvements, the monitoring of licensing requirements, and other initiatives. In both fiscal year (FY) 2004 and FY 2005, States spent $920 million in CCDF funds (including State funds and funds transferred from TANF) to improve the quality of child care services, accounting for 10 percent of their combined Federal and State expenditures.

Child Care Bureau >>