The 2025 state legislative sessions provided both opportunities and hurdles for states to improve their child care systems. In 2025, all states were in session while 47 states and Washington, D.C., were scheduled to pass budgets, meaning policymakers in every state had an opportunity to advance proposals that improve the child care system.   

The final 2025 tax reconciliation package (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – H.R.1) was signed into law on July 4, 2025. This bill passed both chambers by narrow margins. It passed 215-214 in the House of Representatives in May and 51-50 in the Senate on July 1st. The House then ultimately passed the Senate’s version of the bill 218-214. 

Child Care Aware® of America is pleased to support the reintroduction of the Child Care for Working Families Act and thanks Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) for their leadership on behalf of our country’s children, families, child care providers, and communities. 

Twenty economists and early childhood experts from across the country gathered in Omaha, NE to discuss the challenges facing the child care field and examine how to use what we have learned to improve the child care system. 

August means “Recess” on Capitol Hill—a time when federal lawmakers return to their districts and reconnect with their constituents. However, recess is not a vacation for them or for us. The weeks that members of Congress are away from their offices in Washington, D.C. give us an opportunity to remind them about the importance of child care.  

The strength of our communities, workforce, and economy relies on parents having access to affordable, high-quality child care. Integrating child care into community and economic development plans not only aids local efforts to increase access for the workforce but also underscores the essential role child care plays in the overall well-being and economic vitality of a community.