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.
The President’s Budget for FFY 2025
President Biden released his budget for FFY 2025
in March 2024, while Congress is still working to wrap up appropriations for FFY 2024. Acknowledging the domestic funding caps that artificially constrain much-needed investments in child care and early learning, the child care and early learning highlights in the President's FFY 2025 budget include:
- Child Care and Development Block Grant: $8.52B ($230M decrease below FY24 level)
- Head Start: $12.54B ($270M increase above the FY24 level)
- Preschool Development Grant Birth-5: $250M ($65M decrease from the FY24 level)
- IDEA Part B Preschool Grants: $425M ($5M increase above the FY24 level)
- Idea Part C Grants for Infants and Toddlers: $545M ($5M increase above the FY24 level)
- Affordable Child Care for America: $400B in mandatory funding over 10 years for the creation of a new program to guarantee access to affordable high-quality child care for children from birth to Kindergarten for families with incomes up to $200,000 per year. ($9.9B increase in mandatory funding above the FY23 level)
- Universal Preschool: $200 billion in mandatory funding over 10 years to fund universal, voluntary preschool for all 4-year-olds while expanding access to 3-year-olds. Importantly, this proposal supports expanding access to high-quality preschool in a diversity of settings, including public schools and community-based child care programs. ($5B increase in mandatory funding above the FY23 level)
Read NAEYC's Statement on the President's FY2025 Budget Proposal here.
- FFY2024 child care funding will be level funded.
- FFY2025 spending can increase by only 1 percent.
In August, US Senate Appropriations Committee approved FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill provides a $2.3 billion increase for early learning programs within HHS over fiscal year 2024.
- $10.35 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant a $1.6 billion or 18% increase;
- $12.97 billion for Head Start, a $700 million increase;
- $315 million for the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through 5, level funding;
- $540 million for Infant/Toddler Early Intervention, level funding; and
- $80 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program a $5 million increase.
In July, US House Appropriations Committee approved FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill that provides:
- $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, a $25 million increase;
- $12.3 billion for Head Start, a $25 million increase;
- $250 million for the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through 5, a $65 million decrease;
- $540 million for Infant/Toddler Early Intervention, level funding; and
- Elimination of funding for Child Care Access Means Parents in School, a $75 million decrease.
Federal Fiscal Year 2024 Budget
- Child Care and Development Block Grant - $8.75B
- Head Start and Early Head Start - $12.27B
- Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five program: $315M
- IDEA Part B Preschool Grants: $420M
- IDEA Part C Grants for Infants and Toddlers: $540M
Proposals PennAEYC Supports and is Tracking
National Early Care and Education Federal Policy Resources
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
- America for Early Ed
- Child Care Aware of America
- Center for Law and Social Policy Child Care and Early Education
- Early Care and Education Consortium
- National Child Care Association
- National Women’s Law Center
- New America Foundation Early Education Initiative
U.S. Health and Human Services