TCA in the News

BY Brian Campbell
PUBLISHED 12:09 PM ET Aug. 11, 2026

U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle has unveiled the Childcare Affordability Agenda, a package of future federal legislation aimed at “lowering childcare costs, expanding access to affordable care, supporting childcare providers and more.”

According to a press release, the Childcare Affordability Agenda would include the following legislation:

• The Child Care for Working Families Act, capping childcare costs at 7% of a family’s income, expanding universal preschool, strengthening Head Start and Early Head Start and raising early childhood educator wages;
• The Child Care Modernization Act, expanding childcare assistance, strengthening provider reimbursement and investing in new childcare facilities;
• The Child Care for Every Community Act, investing in workforce recruitment and training while establishing a universal childcare and early learning system;
• and The Child Care Workforce Act, creating wage supplements for childcare workers in communities experiencing severe workforce shortages.

“We owe working parents more than empty promises. We owe them concrete, common-sense solutions, and that’s exactly what my Child Care Affordability Agenda delivers,” said Morelle. “At a time when families are struggling to afford everyday essentials, Donald Trump has driven up costs while continuing to ignore the childcare crisis that parents have been sounding the alarm about for years.”

“Every young child in our community deserves safe, nurturing, and reliable child care. Parents in our community should never be forced to leave the workforce because they cannot afford child care or cannot find a trusted provider near their home or work. Rochester’s economy will flourish when our children, families, and businesses are positioned to thrive. Congressman Morelle’s Child Care Affordability Agenda helps address our affordability crisis, will grow our economy, and prepares the youngest members of our community for success in school and beyond. At a time when so many families are struggling with the cost of child care, we need the federal government to act in a meaningful way,” said Pete Nabozny, deputy executive director of programs at The Children’s Agenda.

More than 70 childcare sites in Monroe County permanently closed between 2020 and 2022, Morelle said.

Original story here: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/news/2026/08/11/rep–morelle-unveils-new-childcare-affordability-agenda