Advocate
Posts
New Polling on Child Care and the 2024 Election
A new poll conducted on behalf of First Five Years Fund by the bipartisan research team of New Bridge Strategies (R) and Hart Research (D) found that, in this election …
How we’re celebrating Mother’s Day and Provider Appreciation Day
This weekend is both Mother’s Day AND Provider Appreciation Day so now is the time to recognize the important work of both moms and the early educators and providers they …
FY25 Sees Strong Bipartisan Support for Child Care & Early Learning Funding
Dozens of Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle signed letters expressing support for important funding for child care and early learning programs. Each year, Members of Congress …
New Grant Opportunities for Supporting Kindergarten Transitions
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced two new grant opportunities that include invitational priorities to support transitions to kindergarten: The Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) and The Comprehensive …
New ACF Guidance on CCDF Waivers
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) recently released guidance on the 2024 CCDF Final Rule Transitional Waivers. In March 2024, ACF finalized a new rule that will strengthen key …
U.S. Treasury Convening Highlights Financial Challenges and Opportunities for Child Care Providers
On Tuesday, April 30th the White House hosted a convening with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to discuss potential solutions to alleviate the operational and financial challenges of running …
NIEER’s Annual Report Shows Uneven Progress for State Preschool
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) recently released the 2023 State of the Preschool Yearbook, their annual report detailing state preschool policies. This edition provides comprehensive data on …
Child Care This National Small Business Week
This Small Business Week, there’s one surprising issue that’s keeping small business owners from thriving: child care challenges. A number of recent polls from employers and employees have found that …
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program Overview
TANF provides grants to states to help design and operate programs that support low-income families, including through increased access to child care and early education opportunities, which helps parents to …
White House Highlights Wide Range of Approaches for Child Care Support
On the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers (Care EO), the White House brought together governors, advocates, and business leaders …
First Five Questions For Reps. Tenney and Schneider
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) hosted Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Congressman Brad Schneider (D-Il) as part of our First Five Question Series – a monthly …
The Biden Administration Gives Added Flexibility to Serve More Children in Head Start
On March 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law two changes that give Head Start programs additional flexibility to enroll children in Tribal communities and children of farmworkers. Tribal Head …