# 119-s-2828: Child Care Modernization Act of 2025 119-s-2828, Child Care Modernization Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] (R-NE); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-03). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2828 - As of: 2026-10-03 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-2828 - Congress: 119 - Title: Child Care Modernization Act of 2025 - Status: in_committee - Introduced: 2025-09-17 - Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] (R-NE) - Cosponsors: 9 - Policy area: Families - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-03 ## Summary **This bill would redesign the federal child care program into a mixed-delivery system** that broadens who can get help and funds a new federal facilities grant to grow supply and improve centers. - Families: More families could qualify. Eligible children would be under age 13 from households at or below 85% of the State median income with assets under $1,000,000, and parents in many work, training, or care-related activities would count as eligible. - Providers and workforce: States would have to use a cost-estimation model to set payment rates that cover fixed and operating costs and review it at least every two years. At least 9% of relevant funds must be dedicated to quality and workforce efforts to help recruit, train, and retain staff. - States and communities: A new Child Care Supply and Facilities grant program for 2027–2030 would fund construction, renovation, and startup subgrants. Grants must prioritize providers serving priority populations and require detailed State reporting on providers, slots, and subgrant use. ## Cosponsors (9) - Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (R-IA), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] (R-ME), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL] (R-AL), 2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - More child care eligibility and activities: benefit, high. If enacted, a child under 13 could qualify for subsidized care if your family income is at or below 85% of your State's median for your family size (States may have approved waivers to set higher), and family assets are $1,000,000 or less. A qualifying child also must meet conditions like a parent… - Business help and USDA rule change: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require States to support business technical assistance for child care providers, including management coaching, shared services and provider networks, and coordination with the Small Business Administration and the Department of Agriculture. The bill would also direct th… - State plans, fees, and affordability reports: benefit, medium. If enacted, States would have to write child care plans after "meaningful consultation" with parents, providers, employers, and local governments. States would also have to send, when they submit those plans, a report showing what share of income unassisted eligible families spend on child care and… - Authorization for child care funding: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would authorize Congress to appropriate "such sums as may be necessary" to run the redesigned child care services subchapter for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. This authorization excludes the facilities grants section. The authorization does not guarantee funding; Congress sti… - Grants to expand child care facilities: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Child Care Supply and Facilities Grants program for fiscal years 2027–2030. The Secretary could reserve up to 1% for Federal admin. States could keep up to 10% for State activities and must use the rest for subgrants for startup, construction, renovation, repairs… - New cost model for provider payments: benefit, medium. If enacted, States would have to use a statistically valid cost estimation model to set child care payment rates. The model must account for fixed and operating costs, staff pay and benefits, differences by geography, provider type, child age, children with special needs, weekend or nontraditional… - Rules for family child care providers: benefit, low. If enacted, a licensed child care provider who is also the legal parent of a child would still be able to receive assistance for that child's care if the provider also cares for other eligible children. The bill would also clarify that a family child care provider includes someone caring for childr… - Biennial federal child care reports: mixed, low. If enacted, the Department would file the required child care report every two years instead of the previous schedule. This mainly changes how often federal-level information is sent to Congress and does not by itself change family benefits. ## Related bills - 119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 - 119-s-558: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025 - 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas. - 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona. - 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina. - 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan. ## Sources - [119-s-2828 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2828) ## Related - [119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1261) - [119-s-558: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-558) - [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913) - [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897) - [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801) - [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2828 (as of 2026-10-03).