News & Resources
FEATURED PRIORITIES
2026 Early Head Start and Head Start
Head Start has a long history of giving kids a strong start through comprehensive early learning, health, and nutrition services. We are focused on continuing to bolster overall support for this essential program at the federal level.
Appropriations FY2027
For FY2027, Congress should protect, prioritize, and expand these investments in programs including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), Early Head Start/Head Start, and the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5).
Child Care is an Affordability Issue
“Affordability anxiety” is particularly high for parents of young children, where child care consistently stands out as one of the most significant and unavoidable expenses.
Modernizing Child Care
Modernizing the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is essential to ensuring more working families can access the quality, affordable child care care they need.
Posts
Subscribe to FFYF First Look
Every morning, FFYF reports on the latest child care & early learning news from across the country. Subscribe and take 5 minutes to know what's happening in early childhood education.
STATEMENT: First Five Years Fund’s Sarah Rittling in Opposition to Reported Expansion of Eligibility for Federal Child Care Subsidy
According to recent reporting in the New York Times, the White House is considering a new rule that expands eligibility of the federal child care subsidy program to now include married couples with one stay-at-home parent. This is a statement from First Five Years Fund Executive Director Sarah Rittling.
HEARING: House Education and Workforce Subcommittee Hearing Highlights Importance of Federal and State Partnership in Addressing the Child Care Crisis
The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing on September 2, 2026 to highlight how states are leveraging federal, state, and local funds to address the pervasive need for affordable, quality child care.
State Of Play: The Head Start NPRMs (Rules and Regulation Changes)
As part of a “Child Care Reform Package” released on May 11, the Administration issued four separate policy actions: a Head Start Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rule, a Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF) Information Memorandum, and a CCDF Dear Colleague Letter.
State Momentum Meets Federal Opportunity: NCSL’s Child Care Framework and the Child Care Modernization Act
NCSL’s new bipartisan report, Childcare at a Crossroads, distills what a group of 13 state legislators – Republicans and Democrats alike – agree the child care system needs.
FFYF State Fact Sheets: Child Care and Early Learning, 2026
FFYF’s 2026 State Fact Sheets on child care and early learning provide state-by-state data for all 50 states and Washington, DC.
Statement: House Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act to Strengthen Child Care Options for Working Families
Representatives Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Susie Lee (D-NV), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) today introduced the Child Care Modernization Act.
First Five Things To Know About: The Child Care Modernization Act
Parents need child care options that meet their family’s unique needs and support their child’s healthy development. Yet today, far too many working families struggle to find the affordable care …
CCDBG: Overview
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act provides federal funding to states for child care subsidies for low-income families with children under age 13.
STATEMENT: FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling on Proposed FY27 House Funding Levels for Child Care and Early Learning Programs
On June 4th, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee released its FY2027 funding proposal, including federal investments in child care and early learning …
FFYF Statement on H.R.7726: Concerns and Recommendations around Accountability and Access
First Five Years Fund appreciates Congressional efforts to build upon the current oversight structures in CCDF to help ensure these funds are used as intended to support working families with young children. However, FFYF has significant concerns with H.R. 7726, the “Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026.”
Understanding Improper Payments: Child Care and Development Fund
Fundamental to understanding this system is recognizing that while all fraudulent payments are considered improper, not all improper payments result from fraud.
