Negotiations for annual federal funding are in full swing, and we have a fight ahead to ensure child care and early education programs receivethe necessary investments to support children, families, and communities.

As the much-anticipated Congressional August recess approaches, it is important to note all that has happened since the start of the 118 th Congress in January. Over the past seven months, there have been several child care and early education bills introduced and reintroduced. Congress is also busy in the middle of the annual appropriations process, with appropriations committee and subcommittee bill markups currently happening.   

“Some of my favorite memories are of being in the care of my grandmother, who was a family child care provider, but Nana to me. I wanted my own daughter to enjoy that same feeling of love and security Nana provides when it was time for her to be in child care. Finding a child care environment that surrounded my daughter with love and recognition that her Black is beautiful in the same way that Nana cared for me was important. That culturally responsive care that we yearned for was ultimately found in a Black child care provider.”  

“My career in child care policy made me more familiar with the history of child care in America. As I searched down the timeline to get to the origin of the experience that families and providers face, I made the connection that child care in the U.S. is rooted in chattel slavery. Enslaved Black women were forced (and trusted) to nurture their oppressors. Black women cared for (including breastfeeding) their enslaver’s children, while their own children were sold, or forced to work alongside them.”  

  - Keisha Nzewi, Co-Founder, Black Californians United for Early Childcare Education  

 

Federal relief for child care has been a lifeline to the sector. Congress approved $52.5 billion over three separate relief packages to help the child care sector recover and rebuild in the wake of the pandemic. Unfortunately, these one-time funds are dwindling as we are rapidly approaching state liquidation deadlines.  

This blog shares how the child care advocacy community can integrate first-hand stories of providers and early childhood educators to convey to policymakers what’s at stake when this funding runs out and— most importantly— make the case for continued robust federal investments. 

Out-of-school time care for children is an integral component of the child care and early learning system. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program was established in 1994 to support academic enrichment, health and wellness activities, and additional services to school-age children in after- and before- school programs, as well as summer learning programs in every state. This important program is a lifeline for working families who need a safe, nurturing environment for their children that supports their development. The 21st CCLC program is the only federal funding stream solely dedicated to these purposes.