Diaper Investment and Aid to Promote Economic Recovery (DIAPER) Act PURPOSE: To increase access to child care and

relieve economic strain on families who cannot otherwise afford sufficient diapers for their children by amending the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provide diapers and diapering supplies to families in need through child care providers. There is no increase in appropriation required for this legislation. BACKGROUND: Families in need cannot buy diapers with either WIC vouchers or food stamps (SNAP). While TANF funding can be used for diapers, the funding provided is not enough to absorb the monthly bill for diapers (which can be as much as $100 for the average child). Children without diapers cannot participate in child care, and parents without child care cannot go to school or work. PROVISIONS OF LEGISLATION: Provide access to child care. A recent survey of mothers found that 4% of mothers have cut back on child care because they could not afford an adequate supply of diapers. The same study found that, in families where having enough diapers is a struggle, 22% of mothers have stayed home with their child when they were supposed to be elsewhere because they did not have enough diapers. Permit parents to participate in the workforce. Most child care centers will not admit a child who arrives without a sufficient supply of diapers. Parents who cannot leave their children with a child care provider cannot attend work or school. Because federal law also requires parents receiving assistance to work or attend training, parents on assistance without access to child care are at risk of losing federal support. Protect the health and welfare of children and child care providers. Diapers affect the health of an infant or toddler and the community around the child. Infrequent diaper changing increases the risks of urinary tract and skin infections for babies and toddlers. Without regular changes or proper disposal, soiled diapers can be a source for outbreaks of viral meningitis, dysentery, and Hepatitis A throughout the community. Relieve the economic and emotional strain families in need. In a survey of mothers living in financial hardship, mothers reported that when they couldnt change their babys diaper, their babies cried more, suffered from diaper rash more often, and the mothers often reported more anxiety. Diaper need adds to the stress experienced by families in financial hardship. SOURCES: - E. L. Kazaks & A.T. Lane. Diaper Dermatitis, 47 Pediatric Dermatology 909 (2000) - Stephen C. Hadler & Louise McFarland, Hepatitis in Day Care Centers: Epidemiology and Prevention, 8 Rev. of Infect. Dis. 548 (1986) - S.N. Harrar. A shot for kids helps adults, Prevention 58.3, March 2006, at 57. - Cybele Raver, Nicole Letourneau, Jennifer Scott, &Heidi DAgostino, Huggies Every Little Bottom Study: Diaper Need in the U.S. and Canada, June 2010, http://www.huggies.com/enUS/promotions/everylittlebottom/the-diaper-need