This month, child care advocates across the country showed up with Child Care Aware of America in a big way, and we couldn't be prouder.

For our annual advocacy day, advocates headed to Capitol Hill to demand child care remains at the top of policymakers’ agendas. Advocates from across the country joined as well by contacting Congress from wherever they were—their kitchen tables, offices, child care centers, and everywhere in between. Together, we sent a clear message to lawmakers: families and providers cannot wait for a stronger child care system.

Advocates from across the country visited over 160 elected officials' offices in D.C. and shared nearly 500 letters with their Members of Congress online.

But our advocacy didn't end there.

This Month of the Military Child, we sat down with Francisco “Fran” Jamison, Child Care Aware® of America's Vice President of Military Programs and Executive Director of Respite Care of America, to learn more about how the military has impacted his life, how meaningful his CDA credential has been over the course of his career, and the importance of investing in military families and children.

 How much are states investing in early education? To find out, Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) took a close look at fiscal year (FY) 2026 state funding for child care and preschool. We focused specifically on dollars beyond federally required matching and maintenance of effort (MOE) funds (learn more about federal child care funding). Budget and policy experts from 44 states and Washington, D.C., responded to our survey. This report not only updates our 2025 findings, but also highlights year-over-year trends for states with both 2025 and 2026 data, showing progress and gaps. 

State policymakers remain at the forefront in shaping and maintaining child care systems that allow families to access high quality and affordable care and ensuring child care programs are supported. This blog offers a first look at the state legislative landscape in 2026, including the how states are preparing for challenges in upcoming budget years and how Governors are proposing to expand, sustain, or contract child care and early learning funding in their proposed budgets.

All states have considerable flexibility in the design and operation of their child care systems under existing federal statute and rules. This includes the payment practices they implement for their child care subsidy program. Consistent and timely subsidy payment policies and practices are critical to support the stability of child care operations, strengthen provider participation, and increase family choice by expanding access to child care that meets families’ individual needs.

On Tuesday, February 3, Congress passed—and President Trump signed into law—five full-year FY26 spending bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) bill. This package includes increased funding for child care and early education and brought a brief government shutdown to an end. The shutdown occurred after Congress missed the January 30 deadline set by the Continuing Resolution (CR), which had temporarily funded the government following this fall’s prolonged shutdown.