The Senate just passed its FY 2018 budget resolution on a 51-49 vote. Before final passage, the Senate adopted an amendment from Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Budget Committee, that removes the House-passed Budget resolution's instructions of $203 billion in mandatory spending cuts and replaces it with a deficit-neutral tax cut that could add $1.5 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. This funding set-aside is protected from a filibuster.

With the authorization of funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) initiative expiring tomorrow, September 30, Congress will miss the deadline for extending these critical programs. Unfortunately, this lapse in funding could put many programs at-risk of closing and deny children access to health insurance.

The Problem:

In the past few months, much has been written about the too-common issue of preschool expulsion. Where can early childhood educators turn if they want to better understand the issue, its root causes, and how they can become part of the solution?

Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced the "Child Care for Working Families Act of 2017."  This legislation would greatly assist millions of families in gaining access to quality and affordable care.

In August, we celebrated National Back to School Month with parents and providers through our Back to School Blog Series and daily back to school tips. With the end of August comes the beginning of hurricane season, and with it Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Our emergency preparedness team has been hard at work, connecting with parents and child care providers and providing support, tools, and resources to those impacted by these storms. See the breaking news section below for information on our hurricane emergency response efforts. September is also National Preparedness Month, and we will be sharing more general emergency preparedness resources with parents and providers throughout the month.

Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill. Unlike the House version, the Senate bill does not propose any spending cuts to programs that support child care including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) programs.