Advocate
Posts

The Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit — Understanding the Difference
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit support families in very different ways. Families need both. Child care is not a luxury for American families …

State by State: Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
It’s a struggle for millions of hard-working American families to afford quality child care. Federal programs and policies help support working families with child care expenses, but they are limited …

Survey Finds States Make Difficult Trade-offs When Pandemic-Era Child Care Funding Runs Out
The bulk of child care relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expired last September, and the remaining $15 billion is set to expire next week. This funding …

The First Five Things To Know About: Child Care Is Infrastructure
This week Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) reintroduced her “Child Care Is Infrastructure” package, two bills designed to make critical investments in child care facilities and the early education workforce. …

Inaugural Rural Child Care Forum Highlights the Administration’s Commitment to Serving Rural Communities
Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development (USDA RD) and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services – Administration for Child and Families (ACF) partnered …

The First Five Questions for: Senators Tim Kaine and Katie Britt
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) hosted Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) in the latest segment of our First Five Question Series – a …

Head Start Final Rule Makes Big Changes to Staff Compensation, Program Eligibility, and More
The Office of Head Start (OHS) published the final rule on August 21st, titled Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming, updating the Head Start Program Performance Standards. …

Safety, Quality, and Accountability: Understanding Child Care and Early Learning Regulations
There are numerous policies in place to ensure the safety and quality of care for young children. Understanding the different levels of oversight that hold early care and education (ECE) …

State Of Play: Federal Child Care Solutions Gain Steam Going Into The August Recess
June and July brought a lot of Congressional momentum, with multiple pieces of proposed legislation that would bring better support to more working families and young children who need quality, …

Spotlight On: Child Care and the 2024 Olympics
There have been many memorable moments from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Steve, the Pommel Horse guy. Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav bringing the fun as Ambassadors. Simone Biles, …

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

The First Five Things to Know About: The Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2024
Working families across the country rely on quality child care, but for too many families, child care remains hard to find and even harder to afford. The federal Child Care …