For a child, the first five years last forever.
Hot on the Hill: FY26 Appropriations
Happening now! Congress has until January 30 to pass new legislation to pass full-year spending bills for FY26, including funding for child care and early learning programs. Learn what’s at stake and how you can take action.
FFYF Briefing Room: Safeguarding Access to Affordable Child Care
The federal child care program already includes strong safeguards. Any additional oversight or necessary corrective action should be swift, targeted, and proportional, while ensuring that eligible families and children continue to receive the support they need.
POLLING: Rural Voters on Child Care and Head Start
Rural Parents have been hit particularly hard by child care challenges, with a significant number saying they’re having trouble finding work, are cutting back on basic necessities, and are putting off growing their families due to a lack of affordable options that meet their family’s needs. In a new poll from First Five Years Fund, Rural Americans say money is tight, and child care is a significant part of that burden.
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JOINT STATEMENT: National Organizations on Federal Child Care Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is a federal state partnership that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families with young children to afford …
New National Poll Shows Strong Bipartisan Support for Federal Child Care Programs
New national polling shows voters continue to worry about the ability of working parents to find and afford child care. The national survey, conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of …
STATE OF PLAY: Appropriations
Update – 1/20/26 The House of Representatives released a Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations package that includes funding increases for federal early learning and care programs. The …
