FY2026: Community Letter to Appropriators Calls For Robust Funding for Child Care and Early Learning

WASHINGTON – The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) and a coalition of 147 major early education advocacy organizations from 36 states have a new letter to Congressional appropriators calling for increased funding for federal early learning and care programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, Head Start and Early Head Start, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program, and Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS).

The letter reinforces the essential role of the federal early learning and care programs for millions of children and families, and highlights the significant unmet need. From the letter to Chair Aderholt, Ranking Member DeLauro, Chair Capito, and Ranking Member Baldwin: 

“As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we are writing to respectfully request your continued support for increased federal investments for core federal child care and early learning programs and ask you to build upon past support to ensure more children and families receive access to the high quality services they need. Child care and early learning programs play a crucial role in supporting children’s healthy development, learning, and school readiness, while also supporting parents’ ability to work, train, or pursue an education.”

In recent years, the federal early learning and care programs have seen important bipartisan support. Even so, these programs still reach only a fraction of the eligible children and families they are intended to serve, underscoring the need for Congress to provide robust discretionary funding. 

The full text of the letter, including the list of signers, can be found below:

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