John Kerry: “with most of the country's attention focused on the war in Iraq, important issues at home are falling through the…”

“with most of the country's attention focused on the war in Iraq, important issues at home are falling through the cracks. Today I rise to talk about one of the needs of working moms and dads and their children--child care. We have a shortage of childcare in this country, and it is a problem for our families, a problem for our businesses, and a problem for our economy. The Census Bureau estimates that there are approximately 24 million school age children with parents who are in the workforce or pursuing education, and the numbers are growing. There has been a 43 percent increase in dual-earner families and single parent families over the last half a century. As parents leave the home for work and education, the need for quality child care in America continues to increase. As the Ranking Democrat of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I think we can foster the establishment and expansion of existing child care businesses through the Small Business Administration, SBA. Today with Senators Harkin, Landrieu, Pryor, Lieberman, Daschle, Bingaman, and Johnson. I am introducing the Child Care Lending Pilot Act of 2003, a bill to create a three-year pilot that allows small, non-profit child care providers to access financing through SBA's 504 loans. There is a real need to help finance the purchase of buildings, to expand existing facilities and improve the conditions of established centers to meet the demand for child care.”