Skip Navigation
Policy Priority
THE TAX CODE

Child Tax Credit

Overview

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) helps qualifying parents with children under the age of 17 offset the cost of everyday household expenses.

The CTC is designed to ensure that the tax code reflects the fact that families have more expenses and less disposable income than individuals and couples with the same income who don’t have children. Parents can use this credit for any expense, even those unrelated to the cost of raising children.

Top
Resources

Resource

FFYF Capsule Collection: Tax Policy and Child Care

July 12, 2025

In A Nutshell With two-thirds of children ages five and under living in homes where all available parents are working, child care is not optional for most families – it’s …

Resource

The First Five Things to Know About: The Britt-Kaine Bipartisan Child Care Plan

March 5, 2025

First Introduced: July 2024 Reintroduced: March 2025.  Parents want to make child care choices that best support their family’s individual needs and their child’s development. This is especially true for …

Resource

Child Care and the Federal Tax Code

February 18, 2025

Millions of families across the United States need child care. Yet for too many, child care is hard to find and even harder to afford. Congress can lead the way. …

Latest
Updates

News

STATEMENT: FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling on Senate Markup of FY26 Funding Levels for Child Care and Early Learning Programs

July 31, 2025

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act to establish proposed funding levels for child care and …

News

Job Posting: Government Affairs Manager

July 24, 2025

Location Washington, D.C. (hybrid; remote work Monday and Friday; in-office work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) This position support First Five Years Fund and its related 501(c)(4) social advocacy arm, First Five Action …


Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact our policy team directly at mail@ffyf.org for more info.


Stay Updated

Receive monthly updates on the latest news, policy, and actions to advance federal investment in children and their families.