News & Resources
FEATURED PRIORITES
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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Summary of Recent Rule to Improve Child Care Access, Affordability, and Stability in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) recently finalized a new rule that will strengthen key policies in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) – the program that includes …
New Employer Child Care Survey from CARE.com
A new survey from Care.com finds that child care benefits have become a top priority for employees and employers alike. As Axios sums up, “Child care outranked mental health support, …
FFYF Statement on Child Care, Early Learning in President’s FY25 Budget
WASHINGTON – Earlier this week, the White House released details of President Biden’s FY2025 budget request to Congress, which includes discretionary funding for many of the federal early learning programs …
GAO Report: Opportunities Within Head Start to Better Align Resources with Child Poverty
Recently, GAO released a report on the availability of Head Start throughout the nation. The report finds that the availability of Head Start programs varies widely across states and counties …
2024: The State of Our Union Is Dependent On Child Care
WASHINGTON – In response to President Biden’s March 7, 2024 State of the Union address, First Five Years Fund (FFYF) Executive Director Sarah Rittling released the following statement: “Child care …
Fact Sheet: Child Care and the Economy
Affordable access to child care supports a child’s healthy development, ensures parents can go to work or school, and helps businesses and our economy thrive. But millions of American families …
The First Five Questions for Congressmen Joaquin Castro and Brian Fitzpatrick
This week, First Five Years Fund (FFYF) launched its new First Five Questions series which will bring interesting leaders, experts, and voices together to talk about child care challenges and …
ED and HHS Urge States to Make Headway on Mixed Delivery Preschool
Earlier this week, the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) released a joint Dear Colleague letter urging leaders to work with local education agencies (LEAs) …
FFYF Statement On The Release Of The White House Executive Order On Care
WASHINGTON – The office of the Vice President has announced that the Department of Health and Human Services has finalized a set of executive orders designed to make child care more accessible …
New BPC Report: A Look into Child Care Workforce Licensing Requirements
Every day, early childhood educators play a crucial role in nurturing and shaping the minds of our youngest learners. Yet, the qualifications required for this essential workforce vary drastically across …
New: Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Child Care Tax Incentives Introduced
The New PACE Act: Today, U.S. House Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) introduced the Promoting Affordable Childcare for Everyone (PACE) Act, a bill to enhance existing provisions …
