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First Five Years Fund

Factsheets

Head Start and Early Head Start: The Program Overview

May 20, 2025

This one-pager provides data and information on how Head Start works and who it serves.

Policy Letters

FY2026: Community Letter to Appropriators Calls For Robust Funding for Child Care and Early Learning

May 14, 2025

WASHINGTON – The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) and a coalition of 146 major early education advocacy organizations from 36 states have a new letter to Congressional appropriators calling for …

Press Releases & Statements

STATEMENT: FFYF’s Sarah Rittling on the House Ways and Means Budget Reconciliation Plans

May 13, 2025

On Monday afternoon, the House Ways and Means Committee released the full text of their bill to reauthorize the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 ahead of Tuesday’s markup. …

Data & Analysis

The First Five Things to Know About: Head Start In Every Congressional District

May 9, 2025

Head Start has been making a difference in the lives of children and families for more than 60 years. Since its beginning, the program has reached more than 40 million …

Data & Analysis

ACF: How Early Learning Programs Align With Executive Order on School Choice

May 5, 2025

Last week, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two Information Memorandums (IM) and one Dear Colleague Letter addressing …

Press Releases & Statements

Statement: FFYF’s Sarah Rittling on Initial White House Budget Request for FY26

May 2, 2025

This morning, the White House released a letter providing President Trump’s recommendations on discretionary funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Also known as the “skinny budget,” the letter contains …

Polling

New Poll: Support for Head Start

April 29, 2025

Quality care is crucial for a child’s development. Early learning programs help build the skills kids need to succeed in school and in life. And when parents know their children …

Data & Analysis

Polling Memo: Republican Support for Child Care Tax Policies

April 16, 2025

Polling conducted by Republican pollsters UpONE Insights on behalf of First Five Years Fund (FFYF) shows strong support for expanding child care-related tax credits. This is especially relevant as the …

Factsheets

2025: ABCs of Federal Early Learning and Child Care Funding Streams

April 16, 2025

Every year, millions of children who range in age from birth through five benefit from an array of federal early learning and care programs. While there are different early learning …

Factsheets

The First Five Things to Know About: The PACE Act

April 16, 2025

Parents want to make child care choices that best support their family’s individual needs and their child’s development. This is especially true for the two-thirds of children ages five and …

In the News

In Case You Missed It: Sarah Rittling Talks Child Care On Fox 5

April 11, 2025

This week, FFYF’s Sarah Rittling joined anchor Steve Chenevey on FOX 5 DC to talk all things child care. Their conversation touched on a wide range of topics, including how …

Data & Analysis

How a Lack of Affordable Child Care Impacts the Economy

March 13, 2025

Two-thirds of all children ages five and under need some form of child care because all of the adults in their home are working. But child care remains both expensive …

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