Child Care

Child care is a basic that helps families get ahead by giving parents the support and peace of mind they need to be productive at work and children the boost they need to succeed in school. To help increase families' access to affordable, high-quality care, we have worked with a coalition of national and state organizations to develop a blueprint for the future of child care. We also have resources on specific child care topics, including: child care assistance, child care tax strategies, child care unionization, family, friend and neighbor care, and the U.S. military child care system.

Frequently requested child care reports: see State Child Care Assistance Policies 2011: Reduced Support for Families in Challenging Times and State by State Fact Sheets: Child Care Assistance Policies 2011.

Highlights

Reports & Toolkits | A Strong Start Makes a Difference

September 13, 2013

Early Learning! Lots of people are talking about it and we wanted to hear from the educators and parents who regularly witness the powerful effects of high-quality early learning. We asked individuals across the country to tell us about their experiences and what early learning has meant to the children in their lives.

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Fact Sheet | State Updates: Early Care and Education

June 27, 2013

This fact sheet summarizes updates and changes to early care and education policy in the states.

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Fact Sheet | New Provisions in Proposed Child Care Regulations

June 10, 2013

This fact sheet summarizes the new CCDF regulations proposed by the Administration for Children and Families.

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Fact Sheet | Expand Access to High-Quality Early Care and Education for Infants and Toddlers

March 8, 2013

High-quality early care and education is essential for children in their earliest years of life when they are first learning and exploring, yet high-quality programs are in short supply.

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More Resources

Coalition Action Materials | Thank You Letter to Congress for Supporting Essential Programs for Women and Families

March 23, 2011

The Child Care and Early Learning Coalition sent a thank-you letter to Senators Mikulski, Murray, Gillibrand, Boxer, Feinstein, Shaheen, Hagan, Cantwell and Lautenberg, who during the floor debate on H.R. 1, spoke in support of essential programs that help women and children and specifically spoke in opposition to the proposed cuts to child care and Head Start.

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Coalition Action Materials | Head Start Researchers' Letter to Congress

March 10, 2011

Over two-hundred academic researchers signed-on to a letter to Congress on the importance of investing and sustaining funding for Head Start and Early Head Start.

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Fact Sheet | House Budget Bill Would Make Deep Cuts in Head Start and Child Care

February 23, 2011

H.R. 1, the House-passed bill that sets federal spending levels for the rest of FY 2011, makes significant cuts in Head Start and Early Head Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG), our key federal early learning investments.

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Coalition Action Materials | Op-Ed Template on Early Childhood Funding

February 18, 2011

Submit an op-ed to local newspapers, both large and small, about the importance of sustaining and maintaining funding for early childhood programs by using this template. Please make sure to refer to the state by state chart on the total number of children at risk for losing child care slots to tailor this op-ed for your state.

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Coalition Action Materials | Sign-On Letter to Congress in Support of Sustaining and Maintaining FY 2011 Early Childhood Funding

February 08, 2011

The Child Care and Early Learning Coalition and over 1,800 of its national, state, and local partners sent a letter to Congress urging them to ensure funding for child care and Head Start/Early Head Start is protected in the FY 2011 budget and maintained.

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