On Tuesday, February 3, the House took a final vote to pass federal government funding for fiscal year 2026 (ending Sept. 30, 2026); the president has indicated that he will sign the bill into law. This vote both secures stable funding for child care and early learning for the remainder of FY26, ending a brief government shut down, and also separates full-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security—a move Child Care Aware® of America called for last week.
“We are grateful to Congress and to bipartisan House and Senate leadership for prioritizing stable funding for early learning and child care,” said Susan Gale Perry, CEO of Child Care Aware® of America. “Protecting the health, safety, and well-being of children and families should transcend politics.”
This legislation includes modest increases for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Head Start as well as the preservation of the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) for the current fiscal year.
With Department of Homeland Security funding now set to expire on Feb. 13, CCAoA reminds Congress that every child in America, including the 1 in 4 that live in families where one or more parents were born outside of the U.S, should feel safe to go to child care and school, go to their doctors, play with their friends, and engage in community activities. Congress must work together to find a path forward for DHS appropriations that prioritizes families.
