Political Quotes

“Madam President, I come to the floor today to speak about the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. I'm glad to say that the bill before us today contains a number of provisions intended to facilitate homeless families' access to quality child care. I appreciate the work of my colleagues, particularly Chairman Harkin, Senator Mikulski and Ranking Member Miller, in supporting these important new provisions. Unfortunately, young children who are homeless are more likely to have developmental delays, and more health and mental health problems, than low-income housed children. At the same time, their mothers are less likely to receive childcare subsidies than are poor mothers at- risk of homelessness. So I believe that this legislation will be important in helping rectify this inequity. However, I want to ensure there is a common understanding of who we intend to include within the definition of homeless families or homeless children. The most common Federal definition of homelessness is found in the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, at 42 U.S.C. Sec. 11434A. That definition applies to public schools, including local educational agency preschool programs, and is used in the Head Start Act, Higher Education Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, among others. The definition includes children and youth who are staying in motels, or with others temporarily because they have nowhere else to go.…”