Center for American Progress

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Education

CAP’s Education department aims to change America’s approach to early childhood, K-12 education, higher education, and lifelong learning by ensuring equitable access to resources, developing community-centered policies, and promoting the ability to participate fully in an inclusive economy built on a strong democracy.

Students walk to their classrooms at a public middle school in Los Angeles, California, September 10, 2021. (Getty/Robyn Beck/AFP)
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What We're Doing

Provide access to high-quality, affordable early childhood education

CAP has helped shape key early care and learning proposals, including affordable child care and universal preschool, while furthering the understanding of the early childhood landscape, including analysis around child care deserts, federal investments, and state actions.

Protect and strengthen public education

A strong public education system is essential to U.S. democracy and is the most accessible path to economic opportunity. CAP stands against the privatization of public schools, champions federal programs such as Title I that deliver vital resources to low-income students, and advances policies that strengthen public education. This includes the development of policy recommendations to advance technology integration, improve federal programs that support high-quality learning, and modernize school staffing and infrastructure to better serve all students.

Advocate for investments in higher education and affordable, high-quality postsecondary pathways for all

CAP advances forward-looking proposals to advocate for the value of education, improve higher education affordability, ensure high-quality standards and strong protections for postsecondary students and student loan borrowers, and equitably fund minority-serving institutions and community colleges.”

Prepare and connect students and workers to good jobs

CAP is reimagining the U.S. workforce development system to prepare and train the next generation of students and workers for a better future.

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Meg
Benner

Senior Consultant

InProgress is a weekly newsletter that keeps you up to date on key policies and empowers you to advocate for change.

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Trump Rule Changes Would Kneecap Head Start In the News

Trump Rule Changes Would Kneecap Head Start

In an op-ed for The Progressive Magazine, Hailey Gibbs argues that a proposed Trump administration rule change would exacerbate child care shortages, keep educators trapped in poverty-level wages, and ultimately harm children and families.

The Progressive Magazine

Hailey Gibbs

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Wage and Benefits Improvements for Head Start Workforce Article

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Wage and Benefits Improvements for Head Start Workforce

The Center for American Progress recently submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opposing the revocation of a 2024 rule improving Head Start staff and educator wages and benefits.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

The Nationwide Child Care Crisis: Addressing Affordability and Supply Shortages Past Event

The Nationwide Child Care Crisis: Addressing Affordability and Supply Shortages

A discussion about new research, the impacts on families and communities, and the actions that leaders in Congress are taking now to build toward a child care system for the future that supports the nation’s youngest learners.

Center for American Progress and Online via Zoom

CAP Comments on Individual Tax Credit for Qualified Contributions to Scholarship-Granting Organizations Article

CAP Comments on Individual Tax Credit for Qualified Contributions to Scholarship-Granting Organizations

The Center for American Progress submitted comments to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the pending rules for the new individual tax credit program, which provides a federal dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 to individuals who donate to scholarship-granting organizations.

Weadé James, Paige Shoemaker DeMio

Measuring America’s Licensed Child Care Supply Report
Close-up on children's hands playing with toys in a basin of water

Measuring America’s Licensed Child Care Supply

Analysis conducted in 2025 measuring families’ access to child care programs, a crucial first step to mitigating the child care supply crisis.

Hailey Gibbs, Won F. Lee, Gabrielle Pepin, 2 More Katharine Sadowski, Aaron Sojourner

America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts Report
Two young children standing at table, with bulletin board and other decorations in background

America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts

Eight years after our initial report, CAP’s 2026 analyses of U.S. licensed child care supply reveal that just fewer than half of the nation's young children still live in child care deserts.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

Stabilizing and Strengthening State Funding for Public Higher Education After the Big Beautiful Bill Report
A hand raising a graduation cap

Stabilizing and Strengthening State Funding for Public Higher Education After the Big Beautiful Bill

Despite steep federal funding cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill, states can continue to support public higher education by creating progressive state tax revenue streams and strengthening rainy day funds to support postsecondary student success and degree completion.

Sara Partridge

Federal and State Policy Outlook for Community Colleges Past Event

Federal and State Policy Outlook for Community Colleges

Join the CAP and the Community Colleges Coalition to explore how community colleges are adapting to new federal and state policies.

Online via Zoom

The Trump Administration’s Changes to the Child Care and Development Fund Would Strip Families of Thousands of Dollars in Potential Child Care Savings Article
A child plays with blocks and puzzles.

The Trump Administration’s Changes to the Child Care and Development Fund Would Strip Families of Thousands of Dollars in Potential Child Care Savings

Removing a 7 percent cap on child care copayments would put much-needed relief from rising child care costs out of reach for families in 10 states.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

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