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Policy Priority
Child Care and Early Learning Programs

Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five

Overview

Due to limited budgets and capacity, many states struggle to support important activities like data collection, research, infrastructure development, and other quality initiatives that ensure child care and early learning programs operate effectively. 

The Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program helps address these challenges by offering a unique source of funding that enables states to strengthen, align, and expand their early learning systems.

This critical funding helps families with young children access a wider range of affordable, high-quality child care options that can help set them on a strong path for success.

These competitive federal grants: 

  • Help states improve quality and safety across child care programs.
  • Improve state collaboration across multiple child care and early learning programs, systems, and agencies to identify what’s working, what’s not, and what to do about it.
  • Assist states in collecting data, so they can make programs work more effectively and efficiently.

Current Funding Level: PDG B-5 is funded at $315 million for FY2025.

Top
Resources

Resource

CAPSULE COLLECTION: Preschool Development Grants Birth Through Five (PDG B-5)

August 19, 2025

In A Nutshell Due to limited budgets and capacity, many states struggle to support the important activities – like data collection, research, infrastructure development, and other quality initiatives – that …

Resource

The First Five Things to Know About: Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5)

August 19, 2025

Due to limited budgets and capacity, many states struggle to support the important activities – like data collection, research, infrastructure development, and other quality initiatives – that can make their …

Resource

Through the Years: Preschool Development Grants Birth Through Five

June 24, 2025

The Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program is a $315 million competitive federal grant designed to improve collaboration and quality in states’ early childhood systems by building …

Latest
Updates

News

Statement: FFYF’s Sarah Rittling on Initial White House Budget Request for FY26

May 2, 2025

This morning, the White House released a letter providing President Trump’s recommendations on discretionary funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Also known as the “skinny budget,” the letter contains …

News

Senate Appropriators Propose Increased Funding for Child Care and Early Learning Programs 

August 1, 2024

WASHINGTON – This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed $2.3 billion in increased funding for federal child care and early learning programs as part of their markup of the FY2025 …

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