Rep. Morelle: Build Back Better Act would lower childcare costs for some Monroe County families

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The cost to get your kid childcare could be cut down in Monroe County for some parents, as Congressman Joe Morelle Thursday made a push for some help from the feds.

The Democrat was in Rochester with childcare advocates, other community leaders, and families to announce what he calls a ‘transformational provision" within President Joe Biden’s proposed "Build Back Better Act."

If the Senate-bound bill passes, Morelle said it would reduce childcare costs for local families by $10,000 a year, which could mean the out-of-pocket cost could be anywhere from zero to $1,360 a year. A recent study showed the average family now pays more than $12,000 a year for childcare.

"Based on our preliminary calculation, a family in our area with two young children with an income of $68,000 a year would pay no more than $1,364 annually for childcare when they were paying on average $12,361," Morelle said. "It reduces the burden by $11,000 per family."

The most a family would pay would be 7% of its income.

Here’s the breakdown of who would qualify.

• Families earning above 75% and not more than 100% of the State Median Income (SMI) (between $51,000 and $68,000) will have a copayment of more than 0% and not more than 2% of their family income. (Ex: Family making $68,000 would pay no more than $1,360 on childcare).
• Families earning above 100% and not more than 125% SMI (between $68,000 and $85,000) will have a copayment of more than 2% and not more than 4% of their family income. (Ex: Family making $85,000 would pay no more than $3,400 on childcare).
• Families earning above 125% and not more than 150% SMI (between $85,000 and $102,000) will have a copayment of more than 4% and not more than 7% of their family income. (Ex: Family making $100,000 would pay no more than $7,000 on childcare).
• Families earning above 150% and not more than 250 (between $102,000 and $170,000) percent SMI will have a copayment of no more than 7% of their family income.

Again, the legislation has not passed the Senate but was passed by the House.