“Poor” and “work” are not on the list of four-letters words getting attention in Washington in recent days. But Maine’s two senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, are paying attention to the nation’s desire and responsibility to help millions of people break the chains of poverty by going to work every day.

Low-income workers cannot remain in the work force without affordable child care. The Snowe-Dodd Amendment to the Welfare Reauthorization bill increases mandatory child-care funding by $7 billion over five years. Co-sponsored by Sen. Collins, the amendment was adopted on March 30 by a wide, bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate.

Low-income working families are confronted with a terrible dilemma. Without a paycheck, families cannot take care of their children. But if family members work, care for their children becomes a heavy financial burden. Sometimes, child care can cost everything a parent earns.

The Snowe-Dodd Amendment helps relieve the picture in two ways: the new funds will improve both the affordability of child-care and the quality of available child-care services.

“The bottom line,” Sen. Snowe said after the vote, “is this measure, quite simply, is a recognition of realities. If we want the nearly five million people that remain on welfare caseloads to be able to transition off welfare and remain off welfare, they must have access to quality, affordable child care.”

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that child-care programs need $4.5 billion just to maintain current levels of support and participation. Additional funding is required to meet growing participation in the program and to fill a funding gap between the number of people applying for help and the ability of states to provide help. The Snowe-Dodd Amendment meets the challenge.

Clearly, the present need outstrips current availability. It’s estimated that only one in seven children eligible for federal child-care assistance actually receives it. Further, unstable child-care services place a large number of low-income families in constant jeopardy of returning to welfare.

Some facts may help answer questions about the impact of child care as well as the nation’s ability to support child-care at the level proposed by Snowe:

. Single mothers who receive child-care assistance are 40 percent more likely to remain employed after two years than those who do not receive help in paying for child care.

. Former welfare recipients with young children are 82 percent more likely to be employed after two years if they receive help with child care expenses.

. Sen. Snowe crafted the legislation so it does not add to the federal deficit. Customs user fees, which are collected on imported goods, are extended to offset money spent on child care.

Given the huge foreign and domestic debates that dominate the Washington political environment today, only political insiders can appreciate the skills required to pass this legislation. But every taxpayer can applaud Sens. Snowe and Collins for helping low-income families remain in the work force. And low-income working families can look forward to being able to find affordable, quality child-care.

In the days after the vote, however, a fly landed in the child-care ointment.

On March 31, President Bush signed a three-month extension of the present welfare block grant and child-care programs. His move is the seventh extension granted during the last 18 months to provide time to update the program.

Then, on April 1, a move to prevent further amendments to the bill failed and Senators could not agree on rule for debate and amendment. Leadership set the bill aside and went on to other business.

In this election year, the congressional session is shorter than usual. Consequently, no one can say whether the Senate will resume debate on the welfare bill or whether some other path of resolution of the issue will appear.

Not only does political limbo threaten the good work achieved by Snowe and Collins, it continues the stress on child-care providers, who earn an average income of only $17,000 per year, it strikes at the hope of families on the waiting list for child-care assistance, and it prolongs the jeopardy of families seeking stable child care.

Maine residents should inform Snowe and Collins that their good work is appreciated and that they have our support in breaking the political logjam to make a positive change in lives of children and families.

Founded in 1994, the Maine Children’s Alliance is a nonpartisan advocate for improvements in public policy affecting all children in the state. It annually publishes the respected “Kids Count Data Book,” a comprehensive source of information about the status of Maine’s children. The alliance board of directors includes Maine business, education, human services and government leaders. Elinor Goldberg is the executive director.