Kerry Unveils Plan to Ease Strain on Working Families
Two-Part Plan Will Offer Quality Afterschool Programs for 3.5 Million Children and $800 Tax Cut for Childcare
June 16, 2004
Columbus, OH
John Kerry’s Plan to Honor Work and Family
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johnkerry.com
During a roundtable discussion at a Columbus child care facility Wednesday, Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry discussed his plan to help working families make ends meet by offering a tax credit for child care and expanding afterschool programs.
As parents work longer hours, families need high-quality child care and afterschool programs more than ever before. Unfortunately, quality child care costs more than a public university, and many afterschool programs do not have enough space for kids, do not stay open late enough or do not meet transportation needs.
Today John Kerry pledged to ease this strain on families with a two-part plan.
“Our kids need a safe place to go while their parents are at work, and parents need peace of mind,” Kerry said. “They need to know that while they’re at work, their kids are safe.”
President Bush proposed cuts that would deny 500,000 children afterschool opportunities, leaving families with nowhere to turn.
“All across this country there are families who would like to enroll their kids in afterschool and child care programs, but they can’t because budgets are tight,” Kerry said. “And for this Administration in Washington, afterschool is just an after-thought. They don’t understand how important it is to working parents. Well, we do. We know how much afterschool and child care matter for working families, and that’s why I have a plan that will help families do the right thing for their kids.”
First, Kerry’s plan will increase the Childcare Tax Credit and for the first time make it available for moderate-income families and stay-at-home moms. Designed to help families pay for work-related childcare expenses, the Childcare Tax Credit has failed to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of child care. Kerry will increase the value of the tax credit by $800 for a typical middle-class family with two children in child care.
Second, Kerry will create the “School’s Open ‘Til 6” afterschool program, expanding afterschool opportunities and ensuring they meet the demands of overstretched parents. Kerry’s plan focuses on three goals: first, meeting the needs of working parents by keeping afterschool programs open late and offering transportation; second, fostering strong values through mentoring and community service; and third, improving educational quality. Kerry’s plan will serve 3.5 million children, an increase of more than 2 million children from the level today.
“I have talked with parents all across this country who are trying to get ahead and do right by their families,” Kerry said. “They are working two and sometimes three jobs just to make ends meet. I want to build an America where the middle class can get ahead. That’s why I’ll make child care more affordable and invest in afterschool. Together, we can we give parents peace of mind and build a stronger America for working families. And we’ll pay for it all by taking Enron’s page out of the tax code and putting one in for working families.”
Kerry is in the middle of a campaign swing focused on building a stronger economy for America’s families. While the Bush administration thinks our economy is good enough, John Kerry knows America can do better and that middle-class families are struggling to keep up with declining income, rising costs and mounting debt. Throughout the next week, Kerry will continue to outline his plan to help families save, get ahead and achieve the American Dream.
Kerry’s childcare tax credit will be fully paid for by new proposals to close corporate tax shelters. His expansion in afterschool is financed through his Education Trust Fund, paid for by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for families making more than $200,000 per year. |
