Currently, states are finalizing their FY 2025-2027 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Plans. Every three years when states undergo this planning process, they must provide the public with an opportunity to comment. This must happen before submitting a final version to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) by July 1, 2024. As states release draft CCDF Plans ahead of their required public hearings, CCAoA has been monitoring how they respond to questions, especially those aligned to new policy requirements in the 2024 CCDF Final Rule.  

This year’s CCAoA Symposium came at a turning point for the field. Never before has America been more child care aware. Never before have we had the opportunity to make child care strong. We did a lot of deep thinking and strategizing during the week, encouraging participants to engage with the sessions and each other.  

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed in March 2021, included $15 billion in supplemental Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) discretionary dollars and $24 billion to make child care stabilization grants available to providers.While states have until September 2024 to spend the supplemental CCDF discretionary funds, states were required to spend stabilization grant funding by September 2023. 

On March 23, 2024, Congress approved a FY24 appropriations package, ending a particularly long and turbulent federal funding cycle.  

Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) applauds this hard-fought bipartisan deal aimed at protecting and prioritizing child care funding for families, children and communities across the country. This package builds on recent historic progress to lower child care costs for families and improve access to the high-quality care they need. 

Looking for a new way to engage families in your community? Consider partnering with your local zoo. Learn how Child & Family Resources, Inc. (C&FR) of Arizona partnered with their local zoo to engage families, share program information and build young children’s brains.    

On March 10-16, we will celebrate National CACFP Week!  

Why?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is an essential federal program that addresses hunger and builds healthy eating habits by providing reimbursement for nutritious foods to children enrolled for care at eligible child care programs, including child care centers, home-based programs and after-school care. Every day, 4.2 million children receive healthy meals and snacks through CACFP, supporting their health, well-being and development. We celebrate the Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs) across the country who serve as CACFP sponsors and the child care programs who participate in CACFP.