Advocate toolkit
Your voice matters. Families need affordable, reliable child care. Federal policy can make that possible. But change only happens when lawmakers hear from the people it impacts most. First Five Action equips you with facts, tools, and strategies to be an effective advocate for federal child care policies on Capitol Hill.
Child Care Primers
Everything you need to know about what child care and early learning policy means for families, the economy and your community.
The Government Shutdown
During a shutdown, funding for Head Start is not dispersed, putting many Head Start programs in immediate jeopardy of closing their doors. As the shutdown continues, Head Start programs in 40+ states did not receive their scheduled funding on November 1st. Head Start sites in states across the country have had to close their doors. This leaves thousands of children and families without access to the care, early learning, nutrition, and stability Head Start provides.
Child Care and Appropriations
Each year Congress allocates federal funding to serve as the foundation for early learning and child care programs in all 50 states. This funding supports federal programs including: CCDBG, Head Start and Early Head Start, and more. While federal investment in early learning and care has strong bipartisan support, current federal investments are not reaching income-eligible families.
Head Start
Head Start programs support young children from birth to age five who are living in poverty, foster care, or without stable housing. Head Start offers early learning, meals, health services, and developmental support.
Child Care and the Federal Tax Code
Child care-related tax breaks can help parents offset the cost of care, benefiting working parents and young children while supporting economic stability across the country, but they haven’t been updated in decades.
Media center
Dive deeper into the policy resources and real life child care challenges faced by families using the media below.
2025 GOP Polling
Our recent poll shows many Republicans are struggling financially, with GOP parents in particular expressing concern about being able to save money or get ahead financially because of child care costs.
2024 National Polling
During the 2024 election, by overwhelming margins voters wanted candidates to provide a plan to address child care challenges in the United States.