# 119-s-4918: Right Start Child Care and Education Act of 2026

119-s-4918, Right Start Child Care and Education Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-24).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4918
- As of: 2026-07-24
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4918
- Congress: 119
- Title: Right Start Child Care and Education Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Taxation
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-24

## Summary

**Creates a new tax credit for eligible child care providers.** The Right Start Child Care and Education Credit would let qualifying individuals claim $4,500 with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field, $3,000 with an associate’s degree, or $1,500 otherwise. The credit is available for up to three years only if the taxpayer elects it for the year. Eligible providers must hold the specified degree or a Child Development Associate credential and work at least 1,200 hours at a facility that complies with applicable laws and licensing, with the 1,200-hour rule not applying when the facility is the operator’s principal residence. The provision would take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2026, and includes conforming code and table of contents amendments to add section 36C.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New tax credit for child care providers: benefit, high. If enacted, you would be able to claim a new federal tax credit for eligible individual child care providers. For tax years starting after December 31, 2026, the credit would pay $4,500 if you hold a bachelor's degree, $3,000 with an associate's degree, or $1,500 with an active Child Development As…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act
- 119-s-2534: Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2025
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-s-3274: Healthy MOM Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4918 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4918)

## Related
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295)
- [119-s-2534: Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2534)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [119-s-3274: Healthy MOM Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3274)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4918 (as of 2026-07-24).