Catalyzing Growth: Using Data to Change Childcare || What's next for Federal Child Care Funding? || What can YOU do to help??

"Between 2020 and 2021, the overall supply of child care programs continued to decrease, leaving families with even fewer options than before the pandemic. This was driven primarily by a continuing (or long term trend) decline in Family Child Care Homes over the period. While stabilization funds may have helped limit the decrease in programs, without significant new, permanent investments in early care and education in this country, the challenges associated with the child care system will continue.  Understanding this landscape is a crucial first step towards advocating for an equitable, accessible and affordable child care system."  

As stated in this article, Child Care Aware® of America will use data from various sources to answer the question: How can we catalyze or accelerate the changes that our child care system needs to overcome challenges?

And on a related note... 

In August, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the long-debated federal reconciliation package.  Initially, this package included a proposed $400 billion dollar investment in child care and early learning.  However, the final law makes big investments in climate and health care, however it included no funding at all for child care and early learning.  You may be wondering how we went from $400 billion to $0 -- we are too.  But don't lose hope... there is still historic momentum in congress in support of child care investments; through tireless advocacy from the field over the last several months, congress will hopefully understand the issues plaguing the childcare system better than they ever have in the past, and feel the urgency to act fast.  This link outlines some information about other ways the field is advancing federal support for child care.

TURN YOUR PASSION INTO ACTION!  Follow THIS LINK for a complied list of resources NAEYC has gathered to help you become the early learning advocate that you want to be!