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Polling Highlights: Missouri, Oklahoma, and Ohio Voters on Child Care Challenges, Workforce Impact, and Need for Action

October 6, 2025

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 …

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118th and 119th Congress: Bipartisan Child Care Legislation in the House and Senate

September 30, 2025

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 …

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POLLING: Rural Voters on Child Care and Head Start

September 29, 2025

In a new poll from First Five Years Fund, Rural Americans say money is tight, and child care is a significant part of that burden.  The survey shows that the …

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New Interactive Resource Reveals Staggering Data on the Child Care Gaps Across the United States

September 24, 2025

The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, in collaboration with Child Care Aware of America and the Bipartisan Policy Center, recently released an interactive map resource that …

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Head Start Community and Champions Gather on Capitol Hill

September 18, 2025

On September 17, more than 200 members and staff from Head Start programs across the country gathered in the Rayburn House Office Building for a Stand for Head Start reception, …

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First Five Things To Know About: The Child Care Modernization Act

September 18, 2025

Parents want child care options that meet their family’s unique needs and support their child’s healthy development. Yet today, far too many working families struggle to find and afford the …

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Child Care Means Business: Leaders and Employers Highlight Urgent Need for Solutions

September 9, 2025

This week, the First Five Years Fund (FFYF) and the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute (WCPI) co-hosted a bipartisan briefing on Capitol Hill to spotlight that Child Care Means Business.  The …

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Funding for Key Early Learning Programs, FY2026

September 3, 2025

Each year, Congress determines funding levels for all of the federal defense and non-defense discretionary programs, including those that support the care and education of children from birth through age …

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Research Finds Preschool Enrollment Can Increase Parent Income

August 6, 2025

Preschool enrollment has the potential to substantially impact parents’ incomes. Parents’ Earnings and the Returns to Universal Pre-Kindergarten, a study on the economic impact of universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) enrollment in …

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STATEMENT: FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling on Senate Markup of FY26 Funding Levels for Child Care and Early Learning Programs

July 31, 2025

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act to establish proposed funding levels for child care and …

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Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC): Maximum Credit Amounts for Families

July 28, 2025

The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) allows working families to keep more of what they earn to pay for child care. A family’s credit depends on four factors: …

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State-By-State: A Look At How Many Families Receive the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)

July 28, 2025

The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) helps millions of working families cover a portion of their child care costs. In 2022, more than 5.7 million families nationwide benefitted …

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