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Funding for Key Early Learning Programs, FY2025
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 …

2025 FFYF Federal Guide to Early Learning and Care Programs
The 119th Congress has the opportunity to invest in America’s children, working families, and the economy through high-quality child care and early childhood education. This resource book is an introduction …

How a Lack of Affordable Child Care Impacts the Economy
Two-thirds of all children ages five and under need some form of child care because all of the adults in their home are working. But child care remains both expensive …

118th and 119th Congress: Bipartisan Child Care Legislation in the House and Senate
Reliable, affordable child care is essential for hardworking families, especially as two-thirds of all children under the age of five need care because all available parents are working. Yet, high …

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

FFYF Analysis of 2025 State of the State Addresses
Since 2019, First Five Years Fund (FFYF) has analyzed State of the State addresses given by governors across the country. This year’s analysis looked at the 37 governors who delivered …

Child Care and the Federal Tax Code
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. …

FFYF Capsule Collection: Appropriations and Child Care
What Are Appropriations? In A Nutshell Even with growing support from states, businesses and philanthropy, federal funding makes up the majority of investment in child care and early learning in …

New Brief Offers Recommendations to Strengthen CDCTC, DCAP, 45F and More
It’s well established that parents of young children are struggling, with access to affordable, quality child care being one of the major sources of stress. Last month, the Children’s Equity …

Total Federal TANF & State MOE Expenditures for Child Care and Early Learning
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides federal grants to states to design and operate programs that help low-income families achieve self-sufficiency. TANF plays a crucial role in …

Protect and Expand the CDCTC
We have a major opportunity for child care – but we need your help. Working families with young children urgently need support. At the top of that list: Making it …