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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Factsheets

2026: ABCs of Federal Early Learning & Child Care Funding Streams

Each year, millions of children from birth through age five benefit from an array of federal early learning and care programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services …

Data & Analysis

Overview: White House Budget Request, FY2026

On May 30, the White House released its official budget request for Fiscal Year 2026, with supplemental information following a week later in the Congressional Justification for the newly renamed …

Data & Analysis

2025 FFYF Federal Guide to Early Learning and Care Programs

The 119th Congress has the opportunity to invest in America’s children, working families, and the economy through high-quality child care and early childhood education. This resource book is an introduction …

Factsheets

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Overview

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 7 million eligible children and youth with disabilities across …

Data & Analysis

New GAO Report Highlights IDEA Early Intervention Programs

The report identified various challenges, including varying eligibility criteria, staffing shortages, and limited data collection, and concluded with several recommendations for Congress. The first few years of life are critical …

Data & Analysis

FFYF’S 2023 State Fact Sheets

Our new analysis of all 50 states and Washington, D.C. shows that child care and early learning programs have tremendous impacts on young children, their families, and the economy at …

Data & Analysis

Understanding Parents’ Complex Child Care Choices — or Lack Thereof

Parental choice is a fundamental value of our child care system. While all parents want their young children cared for in a safe and warm environment, they have varied needs …

Data & Analysis

Unprecedented Bipartisan Support for Robust Early Learning and Care Funding

As House and Senate appropriations requests come to a close, an unprecedented number of House members from both sides of the aisle have signed onto Dear Colleague letters calling for …

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Press Releases & Statements

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling Testifies Before Key House Committee On Child Care Funding

WASHINGTON – Today, First Five Years Fund (FFYF) Executive Director Sarah Rittling appeared before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) to testify about …

Policy Letters

FFYF, Major Organizations Call for Increased Funding for Child Care Programs in FY24 Appropriations

WASHINGTON – Today, the First Five Years Fund (FFYF) and a coalition of 44 major early education advocacy organizations wrote to Congressional appropriators calling for increased funding for federal early learning and care …

Data & Analysis

Report: States are Making Progress in Creating Integrated ECE Systems

Last week, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a state-by-state report analyzing the integration and efficiency of early care and education (ECE) systems. This report serves as a follow-up to …

Press Releases & Statements

Congress Set to Approve Critical Funding Increases for Key Federal Early Childhood Education Programs

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressional leaders released their final FY2023 omnibus spending package, which includes prioritizing more than $2.8 billion in funding increases for core federal early learning and care programs, …

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