First Five Years Fund
Posts
Head Start and Early Head Start: The Program Overview
This one-pager provides data and information on how Head Start works and who it serves.

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

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

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

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

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

New Poll: Support for Head Start
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 …

Polling Memo: Republican Support for Child Care Tax Policies
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 …

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

The First Five Things to Know About: The PACE Act
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 Case You Missed It: Sarah Rittling Talks Child Care On Fox 5
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 …

How a Lack of Affordable Child Care Impacts the Economy
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 …