02/03/04

Help Hundreds of Thousands of Families Waiting for Safe, Affordable Child Care!!

Call or E-mail Your Senators

TOMORROW, February 4th, 2004

To ensure that these families are not left out in the cold!

The Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) bill�our nation�s main source of support for low-income families who need help paying for child care� is up for renewal and may be debated by the full Senate as early as February 2004. Your action is needed to ensure that children and families are able to access the quality, affordable child care they need!

Earlier this fall, the Senate Finance Committee passed a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and CCDBG reauthorization bill with only a $1 billion increase for child care funding over 5 years, an amount that would not maintain current levels of child care assistance, let alone help more families in need. Senator Snowe (R-ME), along with Senators Dodd (D-CT), Alexander (R-TN), Hatch (R-UT), and Bingaman (D-NM) are proposing an amendment which will likely add $6 billion in mandatory (guaranteed) child care funding, for a total of $7 billion in the final Senate bill over the next five years.

**For more information, see our new briefing paper Progress Frozen: The Context for Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization in 2004 .**

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

Call or e-mail your U.S. Senators on February 4^th

You are receiving this alert because one or both of your Senators will play a key role in this vote. Concerned citizens in target states will be combining their efforts in a massive Child Care Call-in and E-mail day on February 4, 2004. Please participate! Take action on February 4th by using our sample message when calling or e-mailing your Senators. Please ask your Senators to �vote yes� on the Snowe amendment to substantially increase child care funding in the final bill. Remember to speak from your personal experience and share information about families needing child care in your area!

Call your Senators� DC office by dialing the US Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or look up your Senators' direct DC or District phone numbers or send them an e-mail.

NWLC has prepared a flier on the call-in and e-mail day that we urge you to share with your friends and colleagues!

Tell-A-Friend Send a note to a friend to let them know about this alert!

NWLC Action Center Visit the NWLC Action Center to take action on other issues affecting women and their families.

NWLC Home Get the facts. Visit the National Women's Law Center web site to learn more about issues impacting women and their families.

NWLC E-Update and Action Alert Network Join or update your contact info.

Senate offices will be closed on Wednesday, February 4th due to the
discovery of Ricin powder in Senator Frist's D.C. office.  According to
today's Washington Post, "The three Senate office buildings were closed to
workers and visitors this morning as authorities continued investigating the
powder found about 3 p.m. Monday in a mailroom attached to Frist's office.
Frist said the buildings were closed so that all mail could be adequately
screened. There have been no public reports of illness, injury or of
individuals showing symptoms of ricin poisoning."

BECAUSE OF THIS, WE ARE ASKING THAT ALL PARTICIPANTS IN TOMORROW'S CHILD
CARE CALL-IN AND E-MAIL DAY CALL SENATORS' DISCTRICT OFFICE PHONE NUMBERS --
which you can find at http://capwiz.com/nwlc/utr/1/BKIBCUAEPU/GVBNCUBIWP/ --
RATHER THAN THEIR D.C. OFFICES OR SEND AN E-MAIL at
http://capwiz.com/nwlc/utr/1/BKIBCUAEPU/IVVVCUBIWQ/