Early Childhood

The first five years of life are a critical period of development that sets the stage for lifelong health and learning. While these early years are a time during which young children are particularly vulnerable to scarcity and instability, they also represent a key opportunity for proactively strengthening child and family well-being. Having access to high-quality, affordable child care with wraparound supports, for instance, has been linked to long-term improvements in health, learning, and economic stability, particularly for children from low-income families. Some policies and programs have been successful in reducing child poverty over time, but broader policy decisions and long-standing underinvestment have largely failed to account for the needs of young children and their families. Systemic inequities in access to basic needs—such as housing, food, healthy environments, and financial security—disproportionately affect marginalized and low-income communities, exacerbating disparities that have lasting, intergenerational consequences.

Investing in our nation’s early childhood system represents an investment in our families, communities, and economy. Proactive, holistic policies are necessary to ensure that all children have access to healthy, safe, and supportive environments in which to grow and thrive.

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5 Things To Know About Head Start Report
A child from the Hyde Park Head Start program plays under a parachute.

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.

Understanding the Basics of Child Care in the United States Article
Children sit on the rug at the TLC for Tots daycare center in Nampa, Idaho, November 20, 2024.

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 Early Childhood Policy Team

Head Start funding freeze: The panic was the point In the News

Head Start funding freeze: The panic was the point

In an op-ed published by the Wisconsin Examiner, Casey Peeks discusses Trump’s funding freeze and how it continues to affect Head Start programs across the country.

the Wisconsin Examiner

Casey Peeks

Pandemic-Era Funding for Early Learning Programs Showcases One of the Most Important Investments the United States Can Make Report
Students sitting on rug with teacher at front

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.

Hailey Gibbs, Allie Schneider, Bri Crawford, 1 More Casey Peeks

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