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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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Data & Analysis

2021 State Fact Sheets: Examining the Impact and Unmet Need of Federal & State ECE Funding

August 3, 2021

FFYF has released the latest iteration of its annual state fact sheets, which draw on numerous data sources to offer details about the early childhood opportunities in each state made …

Factsheets

Child Care and Preschool in the Build Back Better Act

July 29, 2021

The Biden administration’s proposal to reform and invest in America’s early learning and care system   In April, the White House unveiled the details of President Biden’s American Families Plan, …

Press Releases & Statements

House Approves Important Annual Funding Increases for Federal Early Learning and Care Programs

July 29, 2021

WASHINGTON — This week, the House of Representatives passed a FY2022 funding package, which includes important funding increases for core federal early learning programs, including the Child Care and Development …

Press Releases & Statements

As Congressional Democrats Move to Reconciliation, Child Care and Preschool Must Be a Top Priority

July 28, 2021

WASHINGTON — Earlier today, the White House and Congressional leaders announced an agreement on the details of a bipartisan bill to invest in the nation’s physical infrastructure. With this agreement …

Data & Analysis

After Decades of Instability and Underfunding, New Data Points to Uncertain Future for Child Care Sector

July 28, 2021

The results of a new survey of 7,500 early childhood educators from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) paint a grim picture for the future of …

Press Releases & Statements

Over 160 National and State Child Advocacy Groups Call on Democratic Leaders to Prioritize Child Care & Early Learning Funding in Reconciliation

July 28, 2021

WASHINGTON –  As Congress grapples with many important and competing priorities, more than 160 national, state, and local organizations and child care providers, led by First Five Years Fund (FFYF), …

Events & Hearings

FFYF Hosts Congressional Briefing on Our Current Child Care Crisis

July 27, 2021

On July 22, 2021, First Five Years Fund (FFYF) hosted a virtual congressional briefing, “Understanding the Child Care Crisis: Why Our Current Child Care System is Failing to Meet the …

Data & Analysis

The Expanded CDCTC Would Help More Families Afford Child Care

July 26, 2021

On Wednesday, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a tool designed to help families understand the expanded CDCTC limits that were temporarily expanded for 2021 under the American Rescue Plan …

Policy Letters

July 2021 Early Childhood Education Community Letter

July 23, 2021
In the News

Primetime Coverage of America’s Child Care Dilemma from PBS NewsHour

July 23, 2021

Last week, in partnership with the Pritzker Children’s Initiative and the Stein Early Childhood Development Fund, PBS NewsHour aired a week-long the series, “Raising the Future: America’s child care dilemma,” …

Data & Analysis

New Data Reveals Lasting, Intergenerational Benefits of Early Learning Programs in Children 50 Years Later

July 21, 2021

A research team from the University of Chicago, which includes Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman, released the results of new analysis from an ongoing study of the Perry Preschool …

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