CLASP Child Care & Early Education

Ongoing Federal Shutdown Threatens Head Start Access for Over 65K Children 'We don't want to see our children ... caught in the crosshairs of these types of political fights,' national deputy director said.

Over 65,000 children are at risk of losing access to Head Start if Congress doesn’t pass a budget by Nov 1 as many programs across the country may face closures. Children, families, and providers deserve better. Congress needs to do right by them. www.the74million.org/zero2eight/o...

Nearly a month into the government shutdown, millions of families are paying the price for deliberate policy choices by the Trump Administration and Congress.

This is a 🚨manufactured🚨 crisis that’s putting jobs, food, and care at risk.

2/ Head Start’s positive impacts are as vast as the program's geographical reach, with a Head Start program in every Congressional district in the country. Children and families deserve access to this critical program, this #HeadStartAwareness month and always.

Federal Shutdown Reflects Trump’s Chaotic Government; Children and Families Pay the Price | CLASP In a functioning government, this budget would be free from interference by a presidential administration. Instead, the administration is manufacturing chaos and dysfunction to continue to weaken the ...

1/ Head Start delivers critical services for families with low incomes across the country, but the government shutdown threatens to close programs that serve 65,152 children nationwide if it extends past November 1st. #HeadStartAwarenessMonth www.clasp.org/press-room/p...

Today marks day 14 of the ongoing government shutdown, with no clear end in sight. With each day that goes by, children and families' unmet needs mount. www.clasp.org/press-room/p...

Federal Cuts to Child Care and Head Start are an Attack on Families with Low Incomes | CLASP By Shira Small The Trump Administration’s cuts to federal child care and early education programs and staff are putting children, families, and the economy at risk. Children are already losing access ...

Attacks on child care and Head Start hit families with low incomes the hardest, worsening the affordability crisis and deepening inequities. www.clasp.org/blog/federal...

The Senate’s Budget Reconciliation Bill is Bad for Children and Families | CLASP Families are already struggling with higher costs of living, and the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill will only increase the costs of health care, food, and everyday necessities. The bill's text af...

Child care is increasingly inaccessible and unaffordable – and the Budget reconciliation bill will make families' and states' budgets even tighter. We can’t let kids and parents pay the price. Learn why. www.clasp.org/blog/senate-...

Cliff Notes: Pandemic Relief Funding Teaches Lessons About the Need for Sustained Child Care Investments | CLASP New fact sheet in collaboration with the National Womens Law Center highlights the urgent need for long term, sustainable investments in child care.

COVID relief expiration, the reconciliation bill, & the current policy environment are leaving many states facing fiscal tradeoffs. Learn about the progress achievable with sustained funding for child care, & what’s at stake without increased investment. www.clasp.org/publications...

Last week, two court rulings protected the rights of immigrant families and their access to certain public benefits, including Head Start. To learn more about this win for immigrant families and our country, read CLASP’s statement. www.clasp.org/press-room/p...

House Proposed Level Funding for CCDBG Would Mean Nearly 50,000 Children Lose Access Since Last Increase | CLASP As Congress negotiates the FY2026 appropriations package, another year of level funding for CCDBG, which has been proposed in the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencie...

Under the current FY25 continuing resolution, CLASP estimated that 24,000 fewer families would have access to child care assistance. Under the new House proposed FY26 budget, that number stands to rise to 50,000. Read the analysis here. www.clasp.org/publications...

FFN care provides an essential service to ensure families can go to work, yet caregivers often don’t have access to critical support such as fair wages, health care, and other benefits. FFN caregivers give so much and deserve so much more. #FFNCareIsAlwaysThere

House Proposed Level Funding for CCDBG Would Mean Nearly 50,000 Children Lose Access Since Last Increase | CLASP As Congress negotiates the FY2026 appropriations package, another year of level funding for CCDBG, which has been proposed in the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencie...

Flat funding comes with consequences. CLASP estimates the impact of the House-proposed level funding for CCDBG in FY26 will mean approximately 24,000 fewer children will have access to child care, on top of flat funding in FY25. Read our full analysis. www.clasp.org/publications...

When Hunger Speaks a Different Language: Food Insecurity, Immigrant Families, and the Invisible Barriers That Keep Kids Hungry | CLASP No child should worry if their mom ate breakfast. Yet in many immigrant families, that sacrifice is routine.

"These policy shifts don’t just tweak technical rules. They fundamentally alter who gets to eat and who doesn’t." - Parthenia Tawfik, our summer intern, discussing food insecurity for immigrant families and how to build a better future.

www.clasp.org/blog/food-in...

Speak up by the end of the day tomorrow to stop the Trump administration from prohibiting immigrant families from accessing Head Start and other valuable programs. Comment today! linktr.ee/together4hea...

Child Care Assistance 101 | CLASP Why is access to child care important for families?

#Childcare is a critical support for family well-being & economic stability. CCDF is the primary federal funding source to support access for families with low incomes & support the quality of care for all children. Learn more about it in our new 101! www.clasp.org/publications...

We are proud to endorse Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov and Rep. Bobby Scott's @bobbyscott.house.gov Child Care for Working Families Act to make #childcare access more equitable and affordable, and better compensate and value the #childcare workforce. www.murray.senate.gov/murray-scott...

Funding is frozen, but families can’t pause their need for care. Learn what’s happening with funding for afterschool and summer programs & how you can take action in @afterschool4all’s latest blog. afterschoolworksforamerica.org/release-the-...

CLASP Outraged by Reconciliation Bill’s Unprecedented Harm, Ready to Respond | CLASP Our fight to ensure the dignity, security, and well-being of those who have been most marginalized is far from over, and CLASP is ready to meet the moment.

The House just passed the devastating budget reconciliation bill. Trump is expected to sign it tomorrow.

This bill guts support for families with low incomes, immigrants, workers, women & children.

But CLASP is fighting back—our work is just beginning. www.clasp.org/press-room/p...

The Impact of Anti-immigrant Policies on Children, Families & the Child Care and Early Education Workforce | CLASP By Rachel Wilensky, Karla Coleman-Castillo, and Wendy Cervantes In the four months since inauguration, the Trump Administration has leveled a staggering number of threats on social programs–from execu...

The Trump Administration's anti-immigrant policies hinder families' access to child care and providers' participation in the child care workforce. Our latest brief with @nwlc.org outlines how these attacks are harming children, families, and early educators. www.clasp.org/publications...

Tell Congress: Oppose Cuts that Harm Babies Urge Congress to reject budget cuts to programs that support babies and families.

Join us today in telling Congress: Don’t cut what babies and families rely on!
🚨 41% of births are covered by Medicaid
🚨 1 in 3 families with kids under five are food insecure
Add your voice: thinkbabies.org/budgetcuts
#MessageinaBabyBottle🍼

House Reconciliation Bill Slashes Child and Family Supports to Fund Mass Deportation and Further Enrich the Wealthy | CLASP This bill guts health care, restricts access to food, sacrifices our higher education system, and punishes immigrant families, all to provide more tax breaks for wealthy people and corporations.

The U.S. House of Representatives' reconciliation bill guts health care, restricts access to food, sacrifices our higher education system, and punishes immigrant families, all to provide more tax breaks for wealthy people and corporations. See our statement: www.clasp.org/press-room/p...

The Impact of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start on My Life | CLASP Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs provide care and support for farmworker families to help meet their unique needs. Every farmworker family should have access to these programs, but they are dr...

This year marks the 60th anniversary of #HeadStart, which has improved the lives of 40 million children & their families since its founding including former @CLASP_DC intern, Deida Cortez. Read her story, as we celebrate HS's positive & critical impact. www.clasp.org/blog/the-imp...

Federal Cuts to Child Care and Head Start are an Attack on Families with Low Incomes | CLASP By Shira Small The Trump Administration’s cuts to federal child care and early education programs and staff are putting children, families, and the economy at risk. Children are already losing access ...

Parents should not have to worry about accessing affordable child care, but the Trump admin's actions are putting ECE programs at risk. On this #DayWithoutChildCare, @CLASP_DC is calling for a robustly funded #childcare system that works for everyone. www.clasp.org/blog/federal...

Child Care and Development Fund Participation in 2022 | CLASP By Alyssa Fortner Child care enables parents and caregivers to participate in the workforce, attend school and training programs, and take care of other responsibilities while their children are cared...

In 2022, as the #ECE sector continued to face significant harm from the pandemic, 1,434,900 children received subsidies for child care — an increase of 8% from the year before. Read our new fact sheet analyzing the most recent CCDF participation data. www.clasp.org/publications...

Later this week, we’ll be releasing our analysis of CCDF participation using 2022 data. In the meantime, check out the 2021 analysis to see how access to child care assistance has shifted over time.

The Real-World Costs of Eliminating Head Start - OtherWords Families can’t afford to lose child care. Providers can’t afford to lose jobs. And the economy can’t afford to have less stability for children.

"Families can’t afford to lose access to care for their children. Providers can’t afford to lose their valuable jobs. And the economy can’t afford to have less stability and care for children. Let’s protect Head Start."

Read more in our new op-ed: otherwords.org/the-real-wor...

And stay tuned for our upcoming analysis of the 2022 CCDF participation data!

Child Care and Development Fund Participation in 2021 | CLASP By Alyssa Fortner Child care enables parents and caregivers to participate in the workforce, attend school and training programs, and take care of other responsibilities while their children are cared...

In 2021, 1,326,700 children participated in the CCDF program – an 11% decrease from 2020.

To learn more about how many children and families had access to care in 2021, check out our latest analysis of state-by-state CCDF participation. www.clasp.org/publications...

Parent Advocacy Groups and a Coalition of Head Start Providers File Lawsuit to Stop Trump Administration’s Dismantling of Head Start | American Civil Liberties Union SEATTLE, Wash.– Today, a coalition of parents and Head Start providers filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s coordinated and...

Parent advocacy groups and a coalition of Head Start providers are fighting back against the Trump Administration’s attacks on Head Start and services that support DEIA. Read about their efforts with @aclu.org to protect Head Start from being eliminated. www.aclu.org/press-releas...

Policy Analyst | Child Care and Early Education & Immigration | CLASP << Back to Careers ABOUT CLASP The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty organization advancing policy solutions that work for people with low incomes and p...

We’re hiring! Apply to join our team as a Policy Analyst working at the intersection of immigration and ECE to support @clasp.org’s mission of advancing policy solutions that work for people with low incomes and people of color. www.clasp.org/about/career...