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First Five Things To Know About: The Child Care Modernization Act

September 18, 2025

Parents want child care options that meet their family’s unique needs and support their child’s healthy development. Yet today, far too many working families struggle to find and afford the …

News

Child Care Means Business: Leaders and Employers Highlight Urgent Need for Solutions

September 9, 2025

This week, the First Five Years Fund (FFYF) and the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute (WCPI) co-hosted a bipartisan briefing on Capitol Hill to spotlight that Child Care Means Business.  The …

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Funding for Key Early Learning Programs, FY2026

September 3, 2025

Each year, Congress determines funding levels for all of the federal defense and non-defense discretionary programs, including those that support the care and education of children from birth through age …

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Research Finds Preschool Enrollment Can Increase Parent Income

August 6, 2025

Preschool enrollment has the potential to substantially impact parents’ incomes. Parents’ Earnings and the Returns to Universal Pre-Kindergarten, a study on the economic impact of universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) enrollment in …

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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 …

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Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC): Maximum Credit Amounts for Families

July 28, 2025

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: …

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State-By-State: A Look At How Many Families Receive the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)

July 28, 2025

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 …

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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 …

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TOPLINES: Child Care in the 2025 Tax Reconciliation Package

July 10, 2025

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 …

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FFYF’s Sarah Rittling on Child Care Tax Enhancements in the Final Reconciliation Package 

July 3, 2025

Final passage of the 2025 reconciliation bill contains updates to tax credits which will help make child care more affordable for more working families with young children including: The following …

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In their own words: Members discuss child care in House Education and Workforce Committee Hearing

June 26, 2025

On June 24, 2025, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing to discuss how Congress can address child care availability and …

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House Education and Workforce Hearing Highlights Overwhelming Bipartisan Agreement that Child Care is Key to a Robust Economy

June 25, 2025

The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing this week to discuss how Congress can address child care availability and affordability to …

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