The Right Start Child Care and Education Act of 2026 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on Finance for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time, and the bill is waiting for the committee to decide on its next steps.
Legislative Progress
Senate
House
President
Law
Unlikely to pass
This bill faces a tough path because standalone tax changes usually need to be part of a much larger budget deal to pass through the Senate.
How we got here
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
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Reintroduced
Reintroduced from S. 3787 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
This bill would create a new tax credit for people who work in licensed child care centers and have specific degrees or credentials in early childhood education.
Workers with a four-year bachelor's degree could get $4,500 back on their taxes each year, while those with a two-year associate's degree could get $3,000.
People who have a Child Development Associate credential but no college degree would be eligible for a $1,500 tax credit.
To get the money, a person must work at least 1,200 hours during the year at a licensed facility, which averages out to about 23 hours every week.
The goal is to help child care centers find and keep trained staff by boosting their take-home pay, though individuals can only claim this credit for three years total.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
2 milestones2 actions
Jun 24, 2026Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Jun 24, 2026
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Right Start Child Care and Education Act of 2026
Bill NumberS 4918
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
