Rise Up for Child Care Act of 2026

This bill aims to significantly increase the availability and affordability of child care services, with a particular focus on supporting home-based providers. It establishes a child care guarantee for individuals receiving or recently having received assistance under State programs funded by the Social Security Act, ensuring access to necessary care.

A major provision of the bill is the transformation of federal child care funding into an open-ended entitlement. This is achieved by eliminating existing State funding caps and replacing a fixed appropriation amount with "such sums as are necessary" for each fiscal year, allowing states to draw more federal funds as needed.

To bolster the home-based child care sector, the bill increases the federal matching rate to 75 percent for State expenditures used to supplement the wages and benefits of home-based child care providers. This enhanced federal support is intended to stabilize and grow this crucial segment of the child care market. Furthermore, it mandates a study by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess the effects of this increased matching rate, with $20 million appropriated annually for this research and regular reports to Congress.