TIPPER GORE UNVEILS USDA FUNDING FOR RURAL CHILD CARE FACILITIES
Release No. 0055.99
BAXTER, IOWA, Feb. 11, 1999 -- On behalf of the Administration, Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide $7 million in loans during 1999 to fund new and expanded child care facilities nationally.
"Reliable child care service in clean, safe facilities is as essential in rural communities as in urban and suburban centers," Mrs. Gore said. "Yet in many rural communities, child care facilities are not available or parents have to drive long distances to reach them. With the help of USDA's community facilities program, we are going to change this situation."
Speaking at a community forum on child care in Baxter, Mrs. Gore said, "Iowa has done a superb job of expanding the network of rural child care, in part by creating partnerships with federal, state and nonprofit funding sources to build child care centers."
Since the inception of this program in1994, USDA has provided $42.5 million for 141 rural child care centers nationwide.
USDA's Rural Housing Service (RHS) is the lead agency in the Rural Childcare Partnership program. Partners in this collaborative effort include the Head Start Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Head Start Association and the Federal Housing Finance Board.
Of the 1999 funds, $5 million will be direct loans from USDA, while $2 million will be available as USDA guarantees of loans made through local financial institutions.
USDA's RHS works to improve the quality of life for rural Americans by ensuring access to safe, affordable homes, and access to vital community services through direct and guaranteed loan programs and community facility improvement grants.
Media Contact: Jim Brownlee, (202) 720-2091
jim.brownlee@usda.gov
Public Contact: Dan Campbell, (202) 720-6483
dacampbe@rdmail.rural.usda.gov
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