Jasmine Scott, a 34-year old mother in Philadelphia, is unable to afford the $400 a week in childcare costs for her 4 year old son and still pay the rest of her bills.
So the Biden-Harris cap on child care co-payments is a relief for her and thousands of other working families in Pennsylvania.
“Without it, my life would be in turmoil,” says Scott, who recently started working as a security guard and is enrolled in Child Care Works, a program funded by the Biden-Harris administration and the State of PA.
“The childcare subsidy makes it possible for me to go to work and know my son is cared for.”
Thanks to this support announced by Vice President Kamala Harris, “In Pennsylvania, a family of three earning $44,000 could save nearly $120 per month.”
Help for Your Family
More than 210,000 families in Pennsylvania can benefit from expanded child and dependent care assistance, including:
- Tax credits of up to $1,050 for one child or $2,100 for two children
- Child care co-payments for working families capped at 7% of their income
- Creating more child care options by incentivizing child care providers to participate
Finding quality child care can also be a challenge, so lawmakers hope these changes will ease staff shortages.
Rep. Joanna McClinton, PA Speaker of the House, stated: “This is great news for families, but also for businesses and employers who depend on workers having safe, reliable child or dependent care so employees can go to work.”
The Biden-Harris action also directs states to pay child care providers more fairly and on time, seeking to improve the financial stability of child care providers and incentivizing them to participate in the subsidized programs.
Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the 2021 American Rescue Plan which has helped to keep over 225,000 child care providers across the country open and lowered child care costs for military families.
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