In 2018, Congress passed the United States’ largest-ever increase of the Child Care and Development Block Grant, giving states across the nation more than $2 billion additional each year to invest in child care. These funds are critical to helping more families afford child care and boost payments to child care providers that have dwindled over time. Children benefit from high-quality care and education that helps put them on the path to becoming healthy, successful, and thoughtful adults. Parents benefit when they can trust that while they are working, their children are safe, happy, healthy, and learning—without having to break the bank. And the early childhood professionals who are caring for and educating this next generation benefit when they are able to change children’s lives while making a living themselves.
Watch this video to learn how funding for child care is making a difference across the country, and why Congress must do more to make quality, affordable child care a reality.
This video was filmed by Armando Gallardo and created in partnership with the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Brooke Butler is the campaign manager for Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress. Meghan Miller is an editor at the Center. Katie Hamm is the vice president for Early Childhood Policy at the Center.