Today, President Trump released his budget request for FY 18, which proposed very harmful cuts to programs that support low-income and working-class families and children, including a cut to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which serves about 1.5 million income eligible children per month. The proposed cuts will put access to quality, affordable, and safe child care at risk for countless numbers of children.

Last week, Child Care Aware® of America’s (CCAoA) Research Team attended the latest public convening for the Committee on Financing Early Care and Education with a Highly Qualified Workforce, sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The committee is studying how best to fund early care and education for children from birth to kindergarten entry so that education is accessible, affordable to families, and of high quality. They are also tasked with including proposals for a well-qualified and adequately supported early childhood education workforce. CCAoA has a long history examining the cost and financing solutions for child care at the state and federal level. Our annual report, Parents and the High Cost of Child Care, discusses not only the unaffordability of child care but also the creative financing strategies that states and localities have used to help defray the cost of child care from parents. We were especially interested in hearing what experts across the country had to share on the subject.

Today, President Trump released his detailed FY 2018 budget request, which is a follow up from his "skinny budget" published in March. While the President's request includes proposals that could benefit a number of families, it would be devastating for most low-income and working class parents and their children.

Welcome to our Family Voices Blog/Vlog series! Grab your favorite cup of coffee or tea to enjoy while you immerse yourself in the real-world child care experiences of families from across the nation. These stories all have been written or video logged by people just like you and me who care deeply about the child care choices they have and see immense value in the opportunities that early care and education services offer for children, families, employers, and communities.

Child care was a lifesaver for my family and me. I am a single mom and have taken my three children to child care since they were 2 years old. I would not have been able to support my family without child care. When my children turned of age in 2012 I also received custody of my niece and nephew. I took them to the same family child care home that my children went to. The kids loved it. They participated in so many learning activities, were well fed, and loved it like they were in their own home.