Analysis
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Shutdown 2025: Impact On Head Start Programs
Federal funding for Head Start programs is dispersed on a staggered grant cycle, meaning different programs receive their funding at different times throughout the year. (One Head Start program may …
Building the Foundation: Head Start Strengthens Early Learning Nationwide
Head Start provides funding directly to local grantees who operate in rural, urban, and suburban communities across the country and tailor programs based on their community’s specific needs and resources. …
STATE OF PLAY: Federal Shutdown and Child Care/Early Learning Programs
UPDATE 10/27/25 What We’re Watching: National Day Of Action The child care and early learning community is uniting around a Day of Action on Wednesday, October 29. If Congress does …
New Interactive Resource Reveals Staggering Data on the Child Care Gaps Across the United States
The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, in collaboration with Child Care Aware of America and the Bipartisan Policy Center, recently released an interactive map resource that …
Side-by-Side Analysis: Comparison of the 2025 Child Care Modernization Act to Current Law
The following is a summary of key revisions the Child Care Modernization Act of 2025 would introduce to the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. Among other …
STATE OF PLAY: Appropriations
Each year, Congress determines funding levels for all federal defense and non-defense discretionary programs, including those that support the care and education of children from birth through age five. Traditionally, …
The First Five Things to Know About: Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5)
Due to limited budgets and capacity, many states struggle to support the important activities – like data collection, research, infrastructure development, and other quality initiatives – that can make their …
How Do Families Decide on Child Care? A New Study Examines Early Learning and Care Decision-Making
Without sufficient federal funding for early learning and care services, options for children and their families remain limited. Thankfully, there are efforts underway to increase access to affordable, high-quality care. …
Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC): Maximum Credit Amounts for Families
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) allows working families to keep more of what they earn to pay for child care. A family’s credit depends on four factors: …
State-By-State: A Look At How Many Families Receive the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) helps millions of working families cover a portion of their child care costs. In 2022, more than 5.7 million families nationwide benefitted …
TOPLINES: Child Care in the 2025 Tax Reconciliation Package
The final version of the 2025 tax reconciliation package (also known as H.R.1) was signed into law on July 4th, 2025. The bill permanently improves three pieces of tax policy …
Governors show support for Federal Preschool Development Grant B-5 Funding
The Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) program is a competitive federal grant program that plays an essential role in ensuring state child care and early learning systems …
