During the late hours of December 9, the Senate avoided a government shutdown and approved H.R. 2028, a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the Federal government until April 28, 2017. CRs, which are used is the absence of a final budget bill, are funded at the same levels appropriated for the previous fiscal year (2016). In addition to maintaining child care and early childhood development programs at FY 2016 levels, the CR also includes $4.1 billion for Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts.

As the leaves change and the weather starts to turn cold, we shift our attention to important end-of-the year work, which includes the launch of our 10th Parents and the High Cost of Child Care report. Visit usa.childcareaware.org/costofcare for more information on this year’s report, which includes both state and county-level data on the cost of child care. We also continue to plan and build momentum around our Child Care Works movement following the election and lead-up to the first 100 days of the new administration.

Arlington, VA, December 7, 2016  – Child Care Aware^® of America’s (CCAoA) 10th annual report researching child care costs in counties and states across the U.S. shows families can’t afford child care in 49 of 50 states.

Earlier today, the Department of Education published the final regulations to implement the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015."  The final ESSA regulations are designed to support states in maximizing their opportunities under the new law.

Last week, Child Care Aware® of America’s policy team hosted a webinar that provided a debrief on the 2016 election. The presentation included details on key staff for the incoming Trump Administration, the breakdown of the membership of the 115^th Congress, and the results of numerous elections at the state level. Our team also reviewed President-Elect Trump’s child care proposal, which was introduced in September, and outlined potential legislation that may support child care initiatives next year.