2024 CCDBG State Fact Sheets

First Five Years Fund released a new collection of fact sheets from all 50 states detailing how the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) helps families and kids in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. 

What CCDBG Does

Child care is a necessity for working parents, yet the cost of quality care often places it out of reach for many families. ​The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF). CCDBG provides block grant to states, territories, and tribal entities which are then distributed as child care subsidies for low-income families with children under age 13. The majority of these funds support children under age 6, with the remainder dedicated to the care of older children during out-of-school time.

How CCDBG Works

States have flexibility in how to use these funds to best meet the needs of children, families, and child care providers in their communities. Through a Lead Agency, states design their own subsidy programs (in compliance with federal eligibility and quality requirements). In some cases, eligible families receive a voucher to use with their choice of approved local child care providers, in others, providers are paid directly for slots reserved for eligible children. Additionally, states must invest a portion of the grant on improving the overall quality of child care for all families.

Who CCDBG Reaches

These subsidies help a portion of working families across all 50 states access affordable, high-quality child care through  a variety of care settings. However, of the nearly 6.3 million children ages 5 and under whose families qualify for CCDBG, fewer than 840,000 receive it (or approximately 13%).

And it makes a big difference to families. For example:

Important Note: The calculations in these fact sheets are based on the most recent available data. CCDBG enrollment data were last updated in 2021 and the eligibility estimate is based on federal rules. Footnotes for all sources can be found here: https://www.ffyf.org/2024-ccdbg-references/

Learn more about how CCDBG benefits families in your state – and why robust funding is needed – using the list below:

DownloadCCDBG_2024_Resource (342.98 kB)