Heller-backed measure will aid Nevada kids, families

High-quality child care can transform kids’ lives by preparing them to start school ready to learn and by spurring higher graduation rates. Helping families pay for it should be a no-brainer.

who caucuses with Democrats. We are grateful for Sen. Heller’s support of the bill, and we hope that tax reform legislation in the Senate will include this provision for low-income working families.

The PACE Act is ambitious, but it would provide critical assistance to thousands of American families and our nation’s workforce.

The current tax reform plans released by the House and Senate this month merely expand the Child Tax Credit, which is not tied to families’ child care expenses.

While this credit is important to taxpayers raising children, Congress must do more to specifically help families afford high-quality child care. That’s why we hope Sen. Heller is successful in his efforts to make certain the Senate includes the PACE Act and expands the CDCTC in its final package.

Without it, accessing high-quality early education programs is not an option for many children living in poverty, who are the very kids who stand to benefit most from such opportunities.

While Congress works on the tax reform bill, we urge Sen. Heller to remember that while children may only represent 20 percent of our population, they are 100 percent of our future. Investments in our kids are the best ones we, as a country, can make.

Mark K. Shriver is president of Save the Children Action Network. Kris Perry is executive director of the First Five Years Fund. Both groups advocate for increased federal investment in high-quality early childhood education for children from birth to age 5.