This report analyzes variations in eligibility and access to Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) subsidies in 2020. State decisions on implementation within the CCDBG program, along with historically insufficient federal and state funding, limit parents' access to child care assistance. We analyze state-level Administration for Children…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines cutting childcare and preschool costs for working families. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Patty Murray chair, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and (2) Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking Member, a U.S. Senator from the State of…

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 and the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rule approved in 2016 outlined major policy changes in four areas: (1) health and safety; (2) consumer education; (3) equal access to high-quality care for children in families with low-incomes; and (4) quality improvement and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how critical child care is for families while also highlighting and exacerbating the existing inequities in the sector. Even as schools are beginning to reopen, continued investment in school-age care is essential to meet families' needs and address the long-standing inequities that children, families, and…

Accessible, affordable, high-quality child care and early education are vital for the economic well-being of families, communities, and the nation. However, families, especially those of color with low incomes, face significant challenges in accessing these services due to systemic racial and economic barriers. Federal programs like the Child Care…

An estimated 1 million+ children could benefit from the child care and early education proposal recently released by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) for inclusion in the federal budget reconciliation package. The new framework, which includes $72 billion in additional Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds,…

The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBG Act, as amended) is the main federal law governing child care programs for low-income working families. The CCDBG Act authorizes discretionary appropriations to support grants to state, territorial, and tribal lead agencies. Lead agencies use these funds to subsidize the child care…

Child care plays a vital role in our nation's economy. COVID-19 has largely shut down child care programs and schools across the nation, presenting challenges for working parents. Child care closures are a particularly acute problem for frontline and essential workers--health care personnel, grocery store staff, postal and delivery service…

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law (P.L. 116-136). The CARES Act includes $3.5 billion in supplemental appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This report provides an overview of the CCDBG provisions in the CARES Act. Among other things, these…

A $2.37 billion increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) provides an opportunity to address the mental health needs of young children in child care. While the CCDBG increase is the largest ever, states must navigate many legitimate and competing claims for these funds, particularly those set aside to improve quality. One…

The Build Back Better (BBB) framework would create an ambitious $400 billion early childhood initiative -- funding both universal prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds and initiatives designed to improve affordability, quality, and compensation within the child care arena. On November 19, 2021, The Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376) was passed in…

Promoting family economic security and mobility requires collaboration across key systems that serve families. This report describes opportunities for the early childhood and higher education systems to support each other's key goals for system advancements to increase economic mobility among America's families. It provides examples of early…

Research Findings: Parents make child care decisions based on their existing perceptions of early care and education (ECE) arrangements. Through secondary analysis of the National Survey of Early Care and Education data on parents of preschooler (n = 1674), an exploratory latent profile analysis was conducted to identify distinct profiles of…

Many district-led summer learning programs are at the intersection of in-school and out-of-school time (OST) learning. These summer programs play a critical role in providing students with academic supports and enrichment during the summer months. Districts offer a range of program types, but most are motivated by district and state policies…

Earning a college degree has long been critical to unlocking many high-paying jobs -- and, as a result, to economic mobility and security. Increasingly, however, the traditional "norm" of a college student--one who enrolls straight out of high school, receives some support from their parents, lives on campus, and does not have…