Child Care & Development Block Grant
Overview
Child care is a necessity for working parents, yet the cost of quality care often places it out of reach for many families.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) provides federal funding to states for child care subsidies for low-income families with children under age 13.
Additionally, CCDBG allows for flexibility to match state and federal funds to improve the overall quality of child care within existing state and local systems.
Current Funding Level: CCDBG is funded at $8.83 billion for FY2026. Combined with the Child Care Entitlement to States (CCES) annual mandatory funding of $3.55 billion, total Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funding is $12.38 billion.
Top News and
Resources
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.
Capsule Collection: Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
What is CCDBG? The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is a federal program that helps parents with low incomes afford child care while they work or attend school. …
Child Care Across America: 2026 CCDBG State Fact Sheets
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is the federal government’s primary child care assistance program, helping more than a million children from lower-income families afford the care they …
2026: ABCs of Federal Early Learning & Child Care Funding Streams
An overview of the top federal child care and early learning programs and how they are funded.
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.
Enrollment and Attendance Payment Models: Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
Overview: States have the flexibility to pay child care providers participating in subsidy programs based on either enrollment or attendance. With enrollment-based payment, providers receive a set amount for holding …
What You Can Do
about CcDBG
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