The Helping Our Parents Enroll (HOPE) in Child Care Act would establish a federal grant program to help parents find and pay for child care by funding local organizations to serve as child care navigators. These navigators would provide free counseling and assistance on locating child care options, applying for subsidies, understanding different types of care settings, and accessing tax benefits for child care expenses, with services available in multiple languages and accessible to people with disabilities. The grants would go to states, counties, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations, with at least two grantees guaranteed per state, and would be awarded for five-year periods starting in fiscal year 2025. The bill authorizes up to $500 million annually for grants from 2025 through 2029, plus an additional $5 million per year for federal administration, with the program taking effect October 1, 2024. Grant recipients would be required to conduct community outreach, maintain confidentiality of client information, and provide data to measure whether the program reaches underserved populations equitably.
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