Budget and policy decisions at the federal level have a deep impact at home in Pennsylvania. Improving the early care and education system at the national level will result in improvements in the commonwealth too. Read below for updates and information about our federal policy and advocacy work.

Federal Public Policy

Position Statements on Federal Policies can be found here.

Federal Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

(Impacts discretionary spending for the 2026 fiscal year)

The annual appropriations process is what is used to fund discretionary priorities across the government, including key early childhood programs like the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start and IDEA preschool special education and Early Intervention.

Congress reached an agreement and the President signed on February 3, 2026, legislation that provided increased funding for child care and early learning programs for FY2026. The FY2026 budget includes the following spending levels for key programs:

  • $8.831 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, an increase of $85 million, which helps low-income families afford child care;
  • $12.357 billion for Head Start, an increase of $85 million, which provides comprehensive early learning services to children from low-income families; 
  • Protected funding for preschool special education (level funded at $420 million) and early intervention programs (level funded at $540 million), ensuring children with disabilities continue receiving critical services;
  • Directing the Administration to conduct a new competition for Child Care Access Means Parents in School  (CCAMPIS) program grants (level funded at $75 million), supporting access to child care for student parents 
  • Protected funding for Preschool Development Grants Birth through Five (PDG B-5), level funded at $315 million.

NAEYC Statement on Federal Child Care Funding can be found here.

Proposals PennAEYC Supports and is Tracking

The Child Care Modernization Act Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Child Care Modernization Act. NAEYC has endorsed the bill, which will help provide quality, affordable child care to America’s working families by reauthorizing and improving the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).

The Child Care Modernization Act will:

  • Strengthen child care services
  • Ensure parental choice
  • Increase child care supply
  • Improve state child care plans
  • Assist in-home and rural child care providers
  • Reduce duplicative regulatory burdens on child care providers

 

The Child Care for Working Families Act was reintroduced by Representative Robert C. Scott (VA-03) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need. NAEYC has proudly endorsed the Child Care for Working Families Act (CCWFA), a bill that would expand access to child care and early learning by making it affordable for all families and increasing the supply, while strengthening the early childhood workforce by making direct investments in educators.

If passed into law, the CCWFA guarantees families would pay no more than 7 percent of their income on child care; educators would have access to professional compensation and supports; and the supply of high quality child care would expand. This legislation is a step toward addressing needed improvements in the child care sector and meeting the needs of children, families, and early childhood educators. A summary can be found here.

 

The Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act and The Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act, sponsored by Rep. Bonamici (OR), Rep. Landsman (OH), and Sen. Blumenthal (CT) would increase the meal reimbursement rate for child care programs, ensure parity in reimbursements for family child care with child care centers (currently family child care receives a lower rate), reimburse for one additional meal per day when the third meal is offered 8 hours after the first meal (currently only two meals and one snack are reimbursable), among other improvements to the program. For additional information go here.

 

The Building Child Care for a Better Future Act, sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (OR) and Elizabeth Warren (MA) would expand mandatory child care funding by increasing annual funding for the Child Care Entitlement to States (CCES) to $20 billion per year (a $16.45 billion increase per year). Currently, CCES funding is so low that only 15% of children eligible for CCES support under federal rules and 22% of children under state rules are being served. It also establishes new mandatory funding to the CCES annually ($5 billion) to provide grants to improve child care workforce, supply, quality, and access in areas of particular need. For additional information go here.

 

National Early Care and Education Federal Policy Resources

 

U.S. Health and Human Services