News & Resources
FEATURED PRIORITIES
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.
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.
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Searchable guide: 2026 Head Start NPRM
FFYF has heard directly from providers, parents, and advocates with questions about what this proposal would actually mean for Head Start. We’ve compiled those questions here, along with clear, straightforward answers.
Frequently Asked Questions: 2026 Head Start NPRM
FFYF has heard directly from providers, parents, and advocates with questions about what this proposal would actually mean for Head Start. We’ve compiled those questions here, along with clear, straightforward answers.
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.
Head Start Snapshot: Early Head Start
Early Head Start was established to serve pregnant women and children under age three during a critical developmental period.
Head Start Snapshot: Populations Served
Head Start’s mission goes beyond the classroom: it is designed to reach the children and families who need it most, which is why eligibility is intentionally built around those facing the greatest barriers to opportunity.
Head Start Snapshot: Comprehensive Services
Head Start pairs high-quality early learning with comprehensive services that support a child’s health and development while helping families build stability and self-sufficiency from infancy through the start of kindergarten.
STATEMENT: FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling on Proposed Head Start Rule
This morning, the White House released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing changes to regulations governing the Head Start program.
CAPSULE COLLECTION: Head Start
This one-stop-shop collection of the top facts, resources, and data around Head Start and Early Head Start.
Head Start Polling Highlights 2025-26
First Five Years Fund has a long track record of polling which consistently shows that Early Head Start and Head Start have strong support among Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters across the country.
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.
New CAP report on Early Learning and Literacy
The Center for American Progress recently released a report highlighting the need for partnership between early childhood and K-12 systems to address declining literacy rates in children.
