ICYMI: Senator Murray reintroduces her Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to lower the cost of child care for Washington state families – MORE HERE
***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL OF THE EVENT HERE***
Bellingham, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited the site for what is slated to become a brand-new Early Learning Center in Bellingham that will provide classes in early childhood education through a partnership with the Northwest Career and Technical Academy (NCTA), as well as child care for up to 120 children ages zero through five. The site is currently the headquarters of the Meridian School District. Murray met with the Superintendent of the Meridian School District and the Director of the Northwest Career and Technical Academy, who showed her the plans for the site and spoke about how the project developed and why it’s badly needed in the community. Murray also met with parents and providers who will benefit from the center once it’s built; the project is expected to begin construction in June 2025.
During the visit, Murray, who leads the Senate in fighting for investments in child care, talked about her ongoing efforts to lower the cost of child care and boost federal investments in early learning. Senator Murray is working to secure $4 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Whatcom Early Learning Center in this year’s LHHS funding bill, which Murray advanced through the Senate Appropriations Committee she leads last month.
“Everywhere I go in in Washington state, from Spokane to Bellingham, I hear about the child care crisis. Parents tell me that they want to get back to work but they can’t afford child care—or even if they can afford it, they can’t get off the waiting list—and child care providers are leaving their jobs in droves because they’re not being paid livable wages,” said Senator Murray. “We’ve got to tackle this crisis head-on. That’s why I’m fighting so hard to pass my Child Care For Working Families Act and to boost federal investments in child care, so that every family can afford the high-quality care they need and deserve. It’s great to learn about the plans for the new Whatcom Early Learning Center—I’m working hard to secure $4 million for this project and I can’t wait to come back and see the facility once it’s built!”
“We are excited to partner with NCTA to lead the development of Whatcom County’s early learning workforce and additional childcare opportunities with the establishment of the Whatcom Early Learning Center,” said Dr. James Everett, Superintendent of the Meridian School District. “High-quality childcare and increased access to early learning with behavioral and mental health support are desperately needed. The benefit of investing in our earliest learners to ensure they have an equitable start and progress through the K-12 educational system to thrive by 25 is critical.”
“The joy of working at a skills center is the gratifying synergy between education, workforce development, and economic prosperity,” said Lynette Brower, Director of the Northwest Career and Technical Academy. “The Whatcom Early Learning Center exemplifies this intersection by intertwining short-term goals in workforce development and preparatory education with the enduring goals of our thriving community.”
Senator Murray, a former preschool teacher herself, has led the fight to tackle the child care crisis in Congress—using every tool at her disposal to make progress for families. Earlier this year, she reintroduced her Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to solve the child care crisis and ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need. The bill would ensure families can afford the child care they need—expanding access to more high-quality options, stabilizing the child care sector, and helping ensure child care workers taking care of our nation’s kids are paid livable wages. It would also dramatically expand access to pre-K and support full-day, full-year Head Start programs and increased wages for Head Start workers. The typical family in America will pay no more than $10 a day for child care—with many families paying nothing at all—and no eligible family will pay more than 7% of their income on child care under Senator Murray’s bill. Senator Murray has also long fought to strengthen the Child Care and Development Block (CCDBG)—and successfully secured a 30% increase in funding for the program at the end of last year.
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