Access to Affordable Early Care and Education

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.

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.

‘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.

Fact Sheet: What To Know About the Child Care for Working Families Act

The Child Care for Working Families Act would make child care more accessible and affordable, promote high-quality care options, and support child care workers.

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.

Stealing From Our Children: Trump’s Dismantling of Head Start Harms Children and Families

Join the Center for American Progress for an event about the Trump administration's serious threats to Head Start, leaving its future in peril and thousands of low-income families in fear of what comes next.

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.

Closures of Head Start Regional Offices Jeopardize Critical Services for Children and Families

A new CAP interactive shows the states affected by recent closures of Head Start regional offices, which play a critical role in administering grants and overseeing the delivery of early childhood services.

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.

5 Things To Know About Head Start

Head Start provides educational, health, nutritional, and social services to hundreds of thousands of young children and their families every year, playing a critical role in the U.S. early care and learning landscape.

Increased Bipartisan Focus on Child Care Must Lead To Congressional Action

CAP analysis finds that the 118th Congress, facing more pressure than ever to address the nation’s child care crisis, oversaw a significant increase in the introduction of bipartisan child care and early learning bills.

Department of Education Staff Cuts Will Harm America’s Children and Schools

The recent decision to slash the U.S. Department of Education’s workforce nearly in half will leave it unable to carry out its responsibilities and statutory requirements under the law.

Understanding the Basics of Child Care in the United States

The United States needs real solutions at all levels of government, coupled with robust public investment, to build a child care and early learning system that works for children, families, educators, and providers.

The Importance of Holding Microschools Accountable

As school choice expands and new models such as microschools emerge, policymakers and advocates must ensure that these options adhere to accountability standards and do not divert critical resources from a universally accessible, high-quality public education system.

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.

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.

A Progressive Vision for Education in the 21st Century

This report encompasses key recommendations for strengthening the American education system across early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education, and workforce development.

Child Care Expenses Push an Estimated 134,000 Families Into Poverty Each Year

Robust public investments can lift the weight of the child care affordability crisis off the safety net’s shoulders.

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.

Project 2025’s Plan To Gut Checks and Balances Harms Parents

The new authoritarian playbook would devastate parents in many ways.

What Is Project 2025?

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is a road map for how a new, far-right presidential administration could take over the country. Maya Angelou said it best: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

Project 2025 Would Eliminate Head Start, Severely Restricting Access to Child Care in Rural America

If enacted, the elimination of Head Start would undermine economic growth and exacerbate inequalities among families with young children.

2024 Summit on Education: Reset. Reframe. Reform.

Summit on Education: Reset. Reframe. Reform.