President Obama Signs the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act

President Barack Obama signs S. 1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Nov. 19, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

In the Oval Office, President Obama signed S. 1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, into law.

"One of my top priorities," the President said, "is making sure that we've got affordable, high-quality child care and early childhood education for our young people across the country. Today, I am pleased to sign a bill into law which is going to bring us closer to that goal."

As President Obama noted yesterday, the new law -- which reauthorizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant program -- will also:

•Improve the quality of child care by requiring more training for caregivers and more enrichment for children
•Improve child safety by instituting background checks for staff and better inspection of facilities
•Help working parents that receive subsidies to pay for child care, as children will no longer lose their care when parents find a job or get a raise on the job

"It's a good step forward," he said. "It shows that Democrats and Republicans, when it comes to making sure our kids are getting the best possible education, are united. And that's good for our kids and that's good for our country."