The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) is urging Congress to vote NO on a package of child care bills expected to reach the House floor this week. Collectively referred to as the “Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026,” these proposals would impose new burdens on states and child care educators while doing nothing to address the real challenges facing families and the child care sector.
The legislation would expand federal authority to withhold child care funding from states, impose harsh penalties on educators for non-fraudulent administrative errors, and create costly oversight requirements that divert resources away from children and families. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program to justify these sweeping measures.
For family child care educators, the consequences could be severe. NAFCC’s 2025–2026 Annual Survey revealed an already unsustainable situation: 35% of family child care educators reported earning less than $10 an hour despite 71% working 50 or more hours per week. By threatening harsh penalties and increasing regulatory requirements, this bill would further discourage family child care educators from serving families who use child care assistance and reduce access to family child care in communities that already face shortages.
At a time when families are struggling to find and afford quality child care, and family child care educators are working long hours for inadequate compensation, Congress should focus on strengthening access to care rather than creating new barriers that threaten to destabilize an already fragile system.
NAFCC joins more than 230 national, state, and local organizations in opposing this legislation through a sign-on letter led by the Child Care for Every Family Network, with support from NAFCC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), and the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Together, we are calling on lawmakers to reject policies that undermine child care access and instead focus on meaningful solutions that support children, families, and educators.
Join us in calling on Congress to reject these harmful proposals and instead invest in policies that strengthen family child care and expand opportunities for children and families nationwide. NAFCC members, family child care educators, families, and advocates are encouraged to contact their Representatives immediately and urge them to vote NO on the Stop Child Care Scams Act package.
Visit the NAFCC Action Center to send a message to your elected officials and let them know that America’s child care crisis will not be solved by cutting access to care, penalizing educators, or creating unnecessary barriers for families.
