H.R. 581 — Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act of 2025

This section defines terms for the Act—including "child care desert" (i.e., a census tract where children under age 5 outnumber licensed or registered child care slots by more than three-to-one, per the most recent American Community Survey, or a community with insufficient quality, affordable child care as determined by the state or Tribal entity)—and authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in consultation with the Secretaries of Education and Labor, to award competitive grants to States and Tribal entities for up to five years to increase access to quality child care by eligible child care providers in child care deserts. Grants may be (1) child care workforce grants to develop and expand the child care workforce; or (2) child care facility grants, which States and Tribal entities may use or disburse (including via loans) for construction, expansion, or renovation of eligible child care provider facilities, including licensed family child care homes. Grant applications must identify a lead agency (potentially differing from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act lead agency); and, for workforce grants, describe plans to (1) increase attainment of stackable and portable credentials in child care or early childhood education; (2) conduct outreach to non-degree holders and prospective child care workers unable to afford postsecondary degrees; (3) provide assistance for secondary, postsecondary, or training programs leading to recognized postsecondary credentials under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act or Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act—or state/Tribal-specified programs; and (4) increase availability of quality child care.