Democrats aim to dramatically reshape child care, preschool

WASHINGTON — Largely overlooked amid the fights on Capitol Hill over immigration, drug pricing and paid family leave, Democrats’ plan to transform how the nation provides early child care stands out as one of the most expensive and sweeping provisions of their $1.85 trillion social safety net bill.

Costing $390 billion, the proposal would provide all 3- and 4-year-old children with universal access to preschool, the largest expansion of free education since high school was added about 100 years ago. It would also subsidize the cost of child care for the vast majority of parents with a child under 6.

Together, the provisions would convert early childhood education and child care in the U.S. from a private, disparate network that favors the wealthy into a taxpayer-funded system that could ease the burden for millions of working mothers and low-income families. Democrats are beginning to focus