Skip Navigation
Welcome to our new website!

With state data, polling results, policy deep dives and the latest news about child care and early learning from across the country, we have multiple ways you can become a Child Care Champion.

Sign up here for our alerts and actions!

Advocate

Resource

Understanding the Difference Between the Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit ⁠— and Why We Need Both

December 1, 2023

Child care is not a luxury for American families – it’s a necessity. Yet the high costs associated with quality child care are rapidly out-pacing most other expenses faced by …

Resource

FFYF Capsule Collection: Appropriations and Child Care

December 1, 2023

What Are Appropriations? In A Nutshell Even with growing support from states, businesses and philanthropy, federal funding makes up the majority of investment in child care and early learning in …

Resource

FFYF Capsule Collection: Tax Policy and Child Care

November 30, 2023

Millions of American families today are struggling to find the affordable, reliable, quality child care they depend on to go to work. This has a devastating impact on our youngest …

Resource

The First Five Things to Know About: Representative Joaquin Castro

November 15, 2023

As part of an ongoing series on the Bipartisan Child Care and PreK Caucus, First Five Years Fund is chatting with each of the co-chairs about their role as a …

Resource

New Report shows Skyrocketing Cost of Child Care

November 14, 2023

A new report from Bank of America has found that parents’ average child care payments are up a whopping 32% from 2019 – higher than the rate of inflation. First …

News

Highlights from Senate Appropriations hearing on White House FY24 request

November 9, 2023

On Wednesday, November 8, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing to discuss President Biden’s FY24 supplemental funding request. As part of the three-hour hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas …

Resource

New Rural Child Care Policy Framework

November 4, 2023

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) recently released a Rural Child Care Policy Framework, which outlines core challenges families living in rural areas face when accessing child care, including a lack …

Resource

Annual Roadmap Highlights State Policies to Support Infants & Toddlers

November 3, 2023

The first three years of children’s lives are a critical period for their development. State policy choices that impact young children and their families during pregnancy and these early years …

Resource

The Crucial Role of Early Educators and the Need for Increased Compensation

November 3, 2023

Early educators are underpaid and undervalued for the challenging and important work they do. When determining what factors make an early care and education (ECE) program high quality, it’s the …

Resource

Report: “The Next Generation of Head Start”

November 2, 2023

Recently, the Children’s Equity Project, in partnership with the Equity Research Action Coalition, and the Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED), released a report, “The Next Generation of Head …

Resource

New GAO Report Highlights IDEA Early Intervention Programs

October 27, 2023

The report identified various challenges, including varying eligibility criteria, staffing shortages, and limited data collection, and concluded with several recommendations for Congress. The first few years of life are critical …

Resource

New Resource Highlights Innovations to Strengthen ECE Facility Infrastructure

October 26, 2023

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) recently released a report, From the Ground Up: Improving Child Care and Early Learning Facilities, that demonstrates the ways states, localities, and tribes can invest …

Stay Updated

Receive monthly updates on the latest news, policy, and actions to advance federal investment in children and their families.