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Reforming Regulations and Decentering Deregulation
Child care costs are high, child care workforce compensation is low, and regulations are burdensome. In an effort to find a solution there have been growing conversations around deregulation without …
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 147 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. …
Webinar: How we can help protect and prioritize funding for child care
This week, FFYF, Child Care Aware of America, NAEYC, and the National Head Start Association hosted an inside look at the Congressional Appropriations process, which funds our nation’s main child …
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 …
Head Start and Early Head Start: The Program Overview
Head Start is a federally funded program that delivers comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children ages 3 through 5 experiencing poverty and their families. More …
FFYF Hosts Child Care and Early Learning Briefing on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) hosted Congressional staff for its annual bipartisan “ABCs of Federal Child Care and Early Learning” briefing. The session focused on the …
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. …
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 …
