Child Care and Welfare Reform

Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Larry E. Craig, United States Senate, Idaho

Friday, April 3, 1998
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (EST)

The 1996 welfare reform law includes a focus on moving mothers into the workforce, thereby increasing their need for child care. The law consolidates several existing child care programs and increases overall child care funding. Nevertheless, many observers fear that these additional resources will not be sufficient to meet the demands placed on the system by the new law's emphasis on work, and its impact on the supply and quality of child care provided. This session will address child care needs in the context of welfare reform and review state efforts on the subject.

12:45 Registration and Check In

1:00 Conference

Moderator and Introduction Douglas Besharov, Professor, University of Maryland School of Public Affairs; Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Presentation Olivia Golden, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families Remarks

Panel 1: State Experiences and Needs

Mark Nadel, Associate Director for Income Security Issues, General Accounting Office Slides
Remarks
Paper

Helen Blank, Director of Child Care, Children's Defense Fund Paper

Cassie Statuto Bevan, Professional Staff Member,
Subcommittee on Human Resources, House Ways and Means Committee

Keynote Speaker Hon. Larry E. Craig, United States Senate, Idaho Remarks
Paper

Panel 2

Wade F. Horn, President, National Fatherhood Initiative Paper

John Weicher, Senior Fellow, The Hudson Institute Remarks
Paper
Slides: 1-3, 4, 5, 6

Background Paper: Jones, Pamela, Christine Ross, and Stuart Kerachsky. Spending on Early Childhood Care Programs and Research: An Analysis of Federal Departments, State Governments, and Foundations. March 31, 1998. MPR Reference No.:8473-000.