site-logo
site-logo
  • About Us
  • Why It Matters
    • The Need
    • Brain Development
    • School Readiness
    • Economic Impact
    • Lifelong Gains
    • Support For Working Families
    • State & Local Demand
    • Voter Demand
  • Issues
    • Budget & Appropriations
    • Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV)
    • Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
    • Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5)
    • Tax Code Supports
    • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
    • Head Start & Early Head Start
    • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
    • Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP)
    • Additional Opportunities
  • News & Resources
  • Take Action
  • About Us
  • Why It Matters
    • The Need
    • Brain Development
    • School Readiness
    • Economic Impact
    • Lifelong Gains
    • Support For Working Families
    • State & Local Demand
    • Voter Demand
  • Issues
    • Budget & Appropriations
    • Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV)
    • Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
    • Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5)
    • Tax Code Supports
    • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
    • Head Start & Early Head Start
    • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
    • Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP)
    • Additional Opportunities
  • News & Resources
  • Take Action

The 118th Congress: Opportunities for Child Care and Early Learning

Federal Guide to Early Learning and Care

The 118th Congress has the opportunity to invest in America’s children, working families, and the economy through high-quality early childhood education. This resource book is an introduction to the foundational early learning and care programs that originate at the federal level and are funded by Congress. 

We hope these resources foster an interest in early learning and care and welcome questions and future discussions.

learn more

How Can Lawmakers Address Child Care Challenges for Families?

Every year, millions of children from all 50 states benefit from an array of federal early learning and care programs. These programs are critical to ensuring children from birth through age five have equitable access to affordable, comprehensive, high-quality care, and have consistently garnered broad bipartisan support from Congress, the White House, and voters for decades.  

Learn more about the role Congress plays in child care and early learning here. If you have follow-up questions on the materials or are interested in discussing a specific topic or policy, please feel free to contact our government affairs team.

Learn More

Why Parents Can’t Find or Afford Child Care

Today, 26.8 million people — 16% of the U.S. workforce — rely on child care in order to do their jobs but the supply of quality child care has not kept up with the significant rise in demand over the years. Pre-pandemic, over 30% of Americans were living in a child care desert with only one available child care spot for every three children in need of care. 

As providers continue to operate under razor thin margins, too many families can’t afford the care they can find, putting many low- and middle-income families in the impossible position of being forced to choose between work and care. 

Click here to learn more about why our nation’s child care is not meeting the needs of parents, providers, or the economy.

Learn More

Voters, Small Businesses Agree, Congress Must Act

Two national polls commissioned by the First Five Years Fund immediately following the 2022 midterm elections have found that voters and small business owners across the political spectrum overwhelmingly endorse the federal government taking action on child care. Among voters surveyed, the sentiment that federal funding for child care and early learning programs should be increased was shared across party lines—88% of Democrats, 70% of swing voters, and 61% of Republicans agree. One of the first national assessments of what Americans expect from Congress following Election Day, the surveys found voters and small business owners alike agree that the national shortage of affordable child care programs is doing significant harm to families’ finances, businesses’ bottom lines, and the U.S. economy broadly.

learn more

Early Learning and Care Daily Clips

Subscribe Here

Additional Resources

  • Federal Role in Early Learning

  • Understanding Child Care in Your State

  • Federal Solutions on Both Sides of the Aisle

  • Bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus

At A Glance
  • Federal Guide to Early Learning and Care
  • How Can Lawmakers Address Child Care Challenges for Families?
  • Why Parents Can’t Find or Afford Child Care
  • Voters, Small Businesses Agree, Congress Must Act
  • Early Learning and Care Daily Clips
  • Additional Resources

Stay Up To Date

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Stay In Touch

FFYF_logo_white
FFAF_logo_white
First Five Years Fund © 2023
50 F Street, NW
Suite 740
Washington, D.C. 20001
contact us
Phone: 202-730-0943
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept,” you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT