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U.S. Senate HELP Committee Holds Bipartisan Hearing on Strengthening the Child Care Sector
This week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hosted a bipartisan hearing on “Supporting Children, Workers and Families by Strengthening America’s Child Care Sector.” The …

Bipartisan House Hearing Examines the Essential Role of Child Care and Paid Leave for Women
On Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee held a bipartisan hearing titled “In Their Own Words: Paid Leave, Child Care, and an Economy That Failed Women.” In the hearing, …

Vice President Harris Announces $39 Billion in Child Care Relief Going to States
This week, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Administration would be releasing $39 billion in COVID-19 relief funds for the child care industry that passed as part of the American …
Letter Urges Support for ECE Apprenticeships as Senate HELP Committee Considers Workforce Development
This week, FFYF submitted comments encouraging the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to include Early Childhood Education (ECE) registered apprenticeships in any update to the National Apprenticeship …

Vice President Harris Visits Preschool to Discuss Plans for Major Early Learning & Care Investment
On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris visited a Connecticut preschool, where she referenced the administration’s plans to strengthen the child care system and invest in quality early learning. This visit …

Two Bipartisan Bills to Address Quality, Affordability of Child Care introduced in Congress
Last week, Iowa’s Congressional leaders introduced two bipartisan bills, the ACCESS Act and the Improving Child Care for Working Families Act, to address the quality and affordability of child care. …

FFYF Hosts Congressional Briefing on Federal ECE Programs Ahead of FY22 Appropriations
On Tuesday, the First Five Years Fund hosted a virtual briefing on federal funding for early learning and care programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, …

Child Care is Infrastructure Act Introduced in House
In an effort to bolster funding for the child care industry to provide the highest quality care to our nation’s youngest learners, Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA) introduced the Child Care …
Small Business Administration Changes Allow Family Child Care Providers to Apply for the Paycheck Protection Program
Through tomorrow, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, family- and center-based child care providers can apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during an exclusive application period. This dedicated application period for …

Biden Executive Order to Support the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Early Childhood Education Providers
In January, President Biden issued an executive order (E.O.) to support the safe reopening and continued operation of schools, child care providers, Head Start programs, and institutions of higher education. …

Congress Highlights Early Education Apprenticeships in Bipartisan Bills
In an effort to address our nation’s workforce challenges, including in early learning and care programs that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the House of Representatives passed …

The Early Educators Apprenticeship Act
As understanding about the importance of early learning has grown, so too have expectations about the quality of care that young children receive in their earliest and most developmentally consequential …