Rural Child Care Access Act

This bill aims to bolster infrastructure for child care facilities in small and rural communities by establishing the Building Up Infrastructure for Local Child Care Grant Program. It authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to state and local child care facilities located in jurisdictions with populations under 50,000 residents.

Grants, with a maximum award of $4,000,000, are specifically for projects that modify, upgrade, or construct child care facilities. These projects must have a substantial nexus to improving child care services, enhancing provider training and development, aiding in provider recruitment and retention, or fostering community engagement.

The Secretary is responsible for issuing program guidance, ensuring equitable geographic distribution of grants, and submitting biannual reports to Congress on project progress and impacts. To fund these initiatives, the bill authorizes an appropriation of $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029. Furthermore, the Secretary is mandated to periodically conduct and publish studies on the construction and renovation needs of child care facilities across the nation.