Rural Child Care Facility Expansion Act

This bill would create a Department of Agriculture program that offers low-interest loans to renovate, retrofit, expand, or adapt facilities to increase child care in rural communities. It targets census tracts defined as "child care deserts" and limits pre-development spending to 10% of each loan.

• Families and children: Rural families in child care deserts would get more local child care slots and preserved openings, including slots serving low-income families and dual language learners.
• Child care providers: Eligible rural providers could apply for loans with terms up to 25 years and an interest rate equal to the comparable Treasury rate plus 0.125%. Applications must be checked for completeness within 30 days and approved or denied within 90 days.
• Oversight and data: The Department must report annually to congressional agriculture committees on loans awarded, funded activities, slots created or preserved, staff employed, community demographics, and pre-K providers helped.