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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 …

NIEER Releases Their Annual Report on the State of Preschool
This week, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released their 2024 State of Preschool Yearbook, offering a comprehensive analysis of state-funded preschool programs during the 2023-2024 school year. …

Reintroduction of Bills Offering Needed Updates to Child Care Food Assistance Program
Access to nutritious food is essential to children’s healthy growth and development, and child care is a prime opportunity for children to receive the nutritious meals and snacks they need …

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 …

Child Care Tax Legislation: 119ᵗʰ Congress
Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) This credit is specifically targeted to help low- and middle-income working parents offset the cost of child care, but with an average benefit …

Survey Data Supports the Need for Better Access to Child Care for Parents of Infants and Toddlers
Families with infants and toddlers are struggling to find consistent access to child care, according to a March 2025 fact sheet from RAPID. RAPID, based in the Stanford Center on …

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 …

FFYF Analysis of 2025 State of the State Addresses
Since 2019, First Five Years Fund (FFYF) has analyzed State of the State addresses given by governors across the country. This year’s analysis looked at the 37 governors who delivered …

Child Care and the Federal Tax Code
Millions of families across the United States need child care. Yet for too many, child care is hard to find and even harder to afford. Congress can lead the way. …

Total Federal TANF & State MOE Expenditures for Child Care and Early Learning
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides federal grants to states to design and operate programs that help low-income families achieve self-sufficiency. TANF plays a crucial role in …

A Story Of Momentum: The Achievements Fueling Our Work in 2025
2025 is officially here! And we are ready to get to work for families and our nation’s youngest learners.Before diving into the exciting work ahead, we want to take a …