# 119-hr-10741: Free Child Care for America Act 119-hr-10741, Free Child Care for America Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-31). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10741 - As of: 2026-10-31 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-10741 - Congress: 119 - Title: Free Child Care for America Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-10-05 - Sponsor: Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA) - Cosponsors: 2 - Policy area: Families - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-31 ## Summary **Massive federal child care investment.** This bill would create a national Child Care for America program that funds providers, raises workforce pay, and adds two new cash programs: a $1,000 monthly stipend for stay‑at‑home parents and direct payments to kin, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers. - Families and children: Low‑ and middle‑income households with children under age 6 would get expanded subsidized care and fee protections for eligible families. Eligibility is set at the greater of 200% of a State median income or $250,000 for a family of the same size. - Providers and the early childhood workforce: Licensed and registered child care providers would receive renewable two‑year subgrants covering wages, benefits, and operating costs and must adopt wage and benefits ladders. The title would authorize about $78 billion per year and includes annual set‑asides such as $250 million for facilities, $250 million for home‑based training, and $250 million for innovation. - Stay‑at‑home parents and FFN caregivers: Stay‑at‑home parents with children under 3 meeting income rules would get $1,000 per month from a $12 billion annual fund. The Kin Care program would allocate $5 billion per year to make predictable payments to verified FFN providers and build a national Kin Care Interface for enrollment and payments. *Would increase federal spending by about $95.0 billion per year over FY2026–2035.* ## Cosponsors (2) - Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX), 2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Kin Care payments for parents: benefit, high. If enacted, low‑ and moderate‑income parents (income ≤100% of State median) could apply through a national Kin Care Interface to get child care paid when a family, friend, or neighbor (FFN) provides care. The program would prohibit parent co‑payments when an FFN provider receives a title payment, r… - Protections for family, friend caregivers: benefit, medium. If enacted, States would have to use safety-check procedures for family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers that avoid undue burdens. Eligibility could not depend on whether the caregiver owns or rents the home. Landlords would not be allowed to discriminate against tenants for participating in… - Help for family child care providers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create many supports for family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) and home‑based providers. States would offer voluntary licensing grants (up to $5,000), equipment grants for special‑needs care (up to $1,000 per year), payments for voluntary quality activities, and a required n… - Grants for child care facilities: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would fund annual grants for child care facilities and home‑based supports. The Child Care Facilities Grant Program would get $250 million each year with individual grants up to $15 million and a 15% admin cap. A Home‑Based Training and Support Fund would get $250 million each… - State child care outreach boards: benefit, low. If enacted, each State would have to create local advisory boards that include parents and FFN providers to guide outreach and local program design. States would form written community partnerships, run multilingual outreach, and file annual implementation reports to the Secretary. The Secretary wo… - Stay-at-home parent $1,000 stipend: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would fund a stay‑at‑home parent stipend with $12 billion per year and pay $1,000 per month per eligible child under age 3 for FY2026–2035. Families would qualify only if family income is at or below 100% of the State median for their size, and payments would stop if a child at… - Large federal child care funding: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would provide about $78 billion each year for Title I child care programs from FY2026–2035. States and Tribal organizations would have rules: at least 70% for direct services, set-asides for quality and outreach, and caps on admin. States would need to keep or increase their ow… - State opt-in controls child care access: mixed, medium. If enacted, the title would apply only in States that choose to participate. Whether your family can use these child care benefits would depend on if your State opts in and how much of the program it adopts. Residents of nonparticipating States would not be covered by the title. - Child care wages and labor rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, States would have to create or improve wage and benefits ladders for child care staff and pay wage supplements within 12 months. FFN and family providers would get new worker‑protection rules: organizing, whistleblower protections, and limited collective‑bargaining options if a State el… - Rules and limits for child care providers: mixed, medium. If enacted, child care providers getting subgrants would need to be licensed, regulated, or registered under State law and follow spending and reporting rules. They would have to use funds only for allowable expenses, keep or increase staff wages and benefits, cap executive pay at 25 times the medi… - Restrictions on use of child care funds: mixed, low. If enacted, States, Tribes, and subgrant recipients could not use these funds to buy or permanently improve land or buildings except as allowed under section 104. Funds also could not be used for sectarian religious activities, lobbying, political activity, or other purposes the Secretary finds inc… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act - 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act ## Sources - [119-hr-10741 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10741) ## Related - [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877) - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870) - [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977) - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10741 (as of 2026-10-31).