The Nationwide Child Care Crisis: Addressing Affordability and Supply Shortages Upcoming EventMay 28, 2026 Jun 4 The Nationwide Child Care Crisis: Addressing Affordability and Supply Shortages Center for American Progress and Online via Zoom 10:30 AM - 12:15 PM EDT
Nearly Two-Thirds of Governors Prioritize Child Care and Early Learning in Their 2026 State of the State Addresses ReportMay 26, 2026 Nearly Two-Thirds of Governors Prioritize Child Care and Early Learning in Their 2026 State of the State Addresses Amid federal funding cuts that strain state budgets, CAP analysis finds that governors are highlighting child care and early learning as priorities for their constituents. May 26, 2026 Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks
Measuring America’s Licensed Child Care Supply ReportApril 29, 2026 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. Apr 29, 2026 Hailey Gibbs, Won F. Lee, Gabrielle Pepin, 2 More Katharine Sadowski, Aaron Sojourner
America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts ReportApril 29, 2026 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. Apr 29, 2026 Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks
Executive Summary: America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts Fact SheetApril 29, 2026 Executive Summary: America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts Lawmakers must address the nation’s child care supply crisis; according to CAP’s 2026 analysis, nearly half of young children are in licensed child care deserts, with rural areas facing the worst shortages. Apr 29, 2026 Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks
The Trump Administration’s Changes to the Child Care and Development Fund Would Strip Families of Thousands of Dollars in Potential Child Care Savings ArticleApril 13, 2026 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. Apr 13, 2026 Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks
CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Improving Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Families ArticleFebruary 5, 2026 CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Improving Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Families The Center for American Progress submitted a comment letter to the Department of Health and Human Services opposing the agency's efforts to roll back progress toward paying child care providers more fairly and lowering costs for families. Feb 5, 2026 Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks
Trump’s Attack on Child Care Funding Undermines Early Educators, Shortchanges Children, and Increases Costs for Families ArticleJanuary 12, 2026 Trump’s Attack on Child Care Funding Undermines Early Educators, Shortchanges Children, and Increases Costs for Families The Trump administration leveraged allegations of fraud in Minnesota in an attempt to freeze essential child care funding, a move that reflects a dangerous, broader posture toward the early childhood community that threatens educators, parents, and children. Jan 12, 2026 Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks
Head Start Is a Model for Supporting Child and Family Mental Health ReportDecember 2, 2025 Head Start Is a Model for Supporting Child and Family Mental Health Amid a pronounced youth mental health crisis in the United States, Head Start stands out as a crucial model for addressing the needs of vulnerable young children. Dec 2, 2025 Hailey Gibbs
IDEA at 50: Resources To Support Students With Disabilities During the Week of Action ArticleNovember 14, 2025 IDEA at 50: Resources To Support Students With Disabilities During the Week of Action Fifty years after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act transformed special education services for children with disabilities, it is important to both celebrate its legacy and confront the urgent work still needed to fulfill its promise. Nov 14, 2025 Mia Ives-Rublee, Weadé James, Casey Peeks, 3 More Hailey Gibbs, Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Casey Doherty
Child Care Professionals Are on the Front Lines as Climate Change Risks Children’s Health and Development ReportOctober 21, 2025 Child Care Professionals Are on the Front Lines as Climate Change Risks Children’s Health and Development Amid a changing climate and federal rollbacks to disaster relief and preparedness, early educators face an increasingly untenable child care landscape that will require state and local action. Oct 21, 2025 Hailey Gibbs, Nadia Gronkowski, Hester Paul, 2 More Joan Lombardi, Ph.D., Nsedu Obot Witherspoon
CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Affecting Head Start Eligibility Criteria ArticleAugust 14, 2025 CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Affecting Head Start Eligibility Criteria The Center for American Progress submitted a comment letter to the Health and Human Services Department opposing the agency’s unprecedented notice requiring Head Start programs to verify citizenship status in order for families to qualify for services. Aug 14, 2025 Hailey Gibbs, Rosa Barrientos-Ferrer
Reaching a Boiling Point: State and Local Efforts To Protect Children From Extreme Heat Past EventAugust 13, 2025 Reaching a Boiling Point: State and Local Efforts To Protect Children From Extreme Heat Join CAP for a discussion on how to protect the United States' youngest learners from extreme heat in the face of efforts to roll back climate progress. Virtual Aug 13, 2025
‘We Are the Resources’: Head Start Is a Crucial Early Learning and Community Program for Families Nationwide VideoAugust 5, 2025 ‘We Are the Resources’: Head Start Is a Crucial Early Learning and Community Program for Families Nationwide Despite repeated attacks on the program, Head Start has a 60-year track record of providing high-quality services that prepare young children for school and set families up for success. Aug 5, 2025 Hailey Gibbs, Olivia Mowry, Toni Pandolfo
About Extreme Heat, We Need to Prioritize Children In the NewsJuly 8, 2025 About Extreme Heat, We Need to Prioritize Children In an op-ed published by InsideSources, Hailey Gibbs highlights proven strategies that communities and policymakers can adopt to better mitigate the deadly effects of climate change for young children and infants. Jul 8, 2025 InsideSources Hailey Gibbs
Debunking Myths About Head Start: How the Program Promotes Opportunity and Strengthens Families, Communities, and Economies ReportJune 24, 2025 Debunking Myths About Head Start: How the Program Promotes Opportunity and Strengthens Families, Communities, and Economies Decades of research illustrate Head Start’s effectiveness and its ability to meet the unique needs of local communities—along with the crucial role it plays in state and local economies. Jun 24, 2025 Hailey Gibbs
Executive Summary: Differentiating Between Harmful Child Care Deregulation and Helpful Reform Fact SheetMay 1, 2025 Executive Summary: Differentiating Between Harmful Child Care Deregulation and Helpful Reform Instead of rolling back critical child care regulations, policymakers should streamline regulations and reduce administrative burdens that are not directly tied to child health, safety, and quality learning. May 1, 2025 Allie Schneider, Hailey Gibbs, Lauren Hogan, 4 More Casey Peeks, Paola Andujar, Maria Estlund, Daniel Hains
A Path Forward on Child Care Regulation: Differentiating Between Harmful Deregulation and Helpful Reform ReportMay 1, 2025 A Path Forward on Child Care Regulation: Differentiating Between Harmful Deregulation and Helpful Reform States can and should make child care licensing reforms that ease burdens on providers and improve access—but must do so without endangering child health and safety. May 1, 2025 Hailey Gibbs, Allie Schneider, Lauren Hogan, 4 More Casey Peeks, Paola Andujar, Maria Estlund, Daniel Hains
Governors’ Addresses Reveal Bipartisan, Nationwide Commitment to Early Care and Education ReportApril 22, 2025 Governors’ Addresses Reveal Bipartisan, Nationwide Commitment to Early Care and Education Governors’ 2025 State of the State addresses showcase the widespread impact of the child care crisis and an increasing recognition of the importance of expanded investments in the sector. Apr 22, 2025 Anna Lovejoy, Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks
States Seek To Improve Early Childhood Outcomes Through Consolidated Governance Structures ReportJanuary 6, 2025 States Seek To Improve Early Childhood Outcomes Through Consolidated Governance Structures In recent years, a number of states have moved to consolidate disparately administered early childhood programs into a single agency to improve coordination of services and reduce administrative burdens. Jan 6, 2025 Anna Lovejoy, Allie Schneider, Hailey Gibbs
The Childcare Crisis Hampers Opportunity for America’s Families In the NewsNovember 26, 2024 The Childcare Crisis Hampers Opportunity for America’s Families In an op-ed published by Ms., Hailey Gibbs write about how a second Trump presidency could affect America’s child care crisis. Nov 26, 2024 Ms. Hailey Gibbs
Pandemic-Era Funding for Early Learning Programs Showcases One of the Most Important Investments the United States Can Make ReportOctober 22, 2024 Pandemic-Era Funding for Early Learning Programs Showcases One of the Most Important Investments the United States Can Make Actions by the Biden-Harris administration and state policymakers illustrate how early learning investments are effective and necessary, paving the way for systemic changes to the country’s child care system. Oct 22, 2024 Hailey Gibbs, Allie Schneider, Bri Crawford, 1 More Casey Peeks
Hear From a Child Care Director: How Extreme Heat Affects Young Children VideoSeptember 17, 2024 Hear From a Child Care Director: How Extreme Heat Affects Young Children Extreme heat places a strain on child care program facilities and poses risks to children’s health, learning, and development. Sep 17, 2024 Hailey Gibbs, Allie Schneider, Paige Shoemaker DeMio, 1 More Olivia Mowry
Hear From a Teacher: How Extreme Heat Affects Student Learning VideoSeptember 12, 2024 Hear From a Teacher: How Extreme Heat Affects Student Learning In rural and low-income communities, inadequate school infrastructure fails to protect students from extreme heat, negatively affecting student attendance, engagement, and achievement. Sep 12, 2024 Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Hailey Gibbs, Allie Schneider, 1 More Olivia Mowry
Hear From a Pediatrician: How Extreme Heat Endangers Children’s Health and What We Can Do About It VideoSeptember 10, 2024 Hear From a Pediatrician: How Extreme Heat Endangers Children’s Health and What We Can Do About It Dr. Debra Hendrickson, clinical professor of pediatrics and author of The Air They Breathe, explains the risks extreme heat and climate change pose to children's health and the actions parents, communities, and policymakers can take to protect them. Sep 10, 2024 Allie Schneider, Hailey Gibbs, Paige Shoemaker DeMio, 1 More Olivia Mowry