Overview: White House Budget Request, FY2026

On May 30, the White House released its official budget request for Fiscal Year 2026, with supplemental information following a week later in the Congressional Justification for the newly renamed Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (ACFC).

Overall, the budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services is $93.8 billion, a reduction of $33.3 billion or 26.2%. Funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the Head Start program did remain at levels equal to FY25, while funding for the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program was eliminated.

Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)

• $8,746,000,000 – no change from FY2025.

Head Start and Early Head Start

• $12,272,000,000 – no change from FY2025.

Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5)

• Eliminated – reducing funding for early learning and care programs by$315,000,000 from FY2025.

IDEA Part B, Section 619 (Preschool Grants)

• Eliminated – reducing funding for early learning and care programs by $420,000,000 from FY2025.*

IDEA Part C (Grants for Infants and Families)

• $540,000,000 – no change from FY2025.

Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS)

• Eliminated – reducing funding for early learning and care programs by $75,000,000 from FY2025.

* IDEA Grants to States increased by $670,000,000 over FY2025. The Department of Education congressional justification for fiscal year 2026 states the request would “consolidate the Preschool Grants Program into the Grants to States Program, which would combine IDEA Part B formula grant programs and IDEA Part D competitive grant programs into a single State formula grant program.” For additional information, see the Special Education Grants to States congressional justification.

For information on funding requests for FY26, see FFYF’s Key Early Learning Programs table.