S 3845 United States Senate · 119th Congress

After Hours Child Care Act

The After Hours Child Care Act creates a new federal grant program to expand child care access for parents working nontraditional hours (like evenings, nights, or weekends). It provides competitive grants of $25,000-$500,000 to eligible child care providers or partnerships to fund activities such as expanding existing programs, establishing workplace child care, or improving facility safety and staffing. The grants, awarded for five years with a 25% non-Federal match, specifically target families where parents work outside standard 9-to-5 schedules. This directly helps working parents with young children who face limited care options, aiming to support their continued workforce participation and career advancement.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Feb 11, 2026 Last action Feb 11, 2026
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2
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Committee
1
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors

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