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TOOLKIT: FY26 Appropriations
The Ask Congress: Please act quickly to provide increased stability for families, children, and programs by passing the Senate FY26 Labor-H appropriations bill that prioritizes funding for child care and early learning programs for a full year. Step …

Shutdown 2025: Impact On Head Start Programs
UPDATE: 11/18/25 Head Start programs around the nation are continuing to re-open, some more quickly than others. As of today, Head Start sites in 13 states plus Puerto Rico are …

FFYF Capsule Collection: Appropriations and Child Care
What Are Appropriations? In A Nutshell EvEven with growing support from states, businesses and philanthropy, federal funding makes up the majority of investment in child care and early learning in …

The Friday Five: The Latest Child Care and Early Learning News
Friday, November 14 This week saw the longest shutdown in U.S. history come to a close. The shutdown demonstrated the fragile state of funding for child care and early learning …

119th Congress: Bipartisan Child Care Legislation in the House and Senate
Reliable, affordable child care is essential for hardworking families, especially as two-thirds of all children under the age of five need care because all available parents are working. Yet, high …

FFYF’s Sarah Rubinfield on Early Childhood Chats Podcast
Government shutdowns disrupt the lives of families whose little ones rely on Head Start. FFYF Government Affairs Managing Director Sarah Rubinfield recently joined Early Childhood Chats from the Institute for …

TOOLKIT: End the Shutdown Day of Action – October 29th
What an incredible Day of Action! Yesterday, voices nationwide united with a single message to Congress: Protect Head Start and end the shutdown. Nearly 50 organizations across the country took …

JOINT STATEMENT: Groups Call on Congress to Protect Head Start, End the Shutdown
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Families with young children are feeling the pain of the federal shutdown, and without immediate Congressional action, tens of thousands of children could lose access to Head …

POLL: Strong Louisiana Support for Head Start Amid Federal Funding Uncertainty
As Head Start programs across Louisiana face financial hardship and closure due to the ongoing federal shutdown, new polling shows that Louisiana voters remain overwhelmingly supportive of the program and …

Polling Highlights: Missouri, Oklahoma, and Ohio Voters on Child Care Challenges, Workforce Impact, and Need for Action
In a new poll from First Five Years Fund and state child care organizations, voters in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Ohio say child care is a necessity for families and a …

TOOLKIT: Head Start Awareness Month
October is Head Start Awareness Month! Join us as we celebrate this important program that provides education, nutrition, health, and other services to hundreds of thousands of young children every year. …