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EYE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD
September 2024
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New final rules, a child care funding cliff, and 25 years of child care and early education at CLASP
This summer brought a lot of activity in the child care and early education space, from the implementation of the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) final rule to advocacy for much-needed additional resources to the publication of a new Head Start final rule. And there’s more on the horizon this fall!This month, the final round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding is set to expire. Fifteen billion in supplemental funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) that APRA authorized must be spent by September 30.
This means that many states will lose much-needed funding as they work to implement the CCDF final rule released in March and try to maintain the positive progress the relief resources advanced. Continued and significant investments in CCDBG and Head Start are indispensable at this critical time to keep the child care and early education sector afloat and help states implement the required changes reflected in the recent final rules.
Our team is fighting to secure this investment, as it has fought for affordable and accessible child care for the past 25 years. Join us in celebrating the team’s 25th anniversary on September 25 at the National Press Club in D.C. This event, which folks can also attend virtually, will be an opportunity for CLASP and the CCEE team’s alumni, friends, and partners to celebrate some of our greatest achievements and learn about the bold vision for the next 25 years – and beyond. Please RSVP here [[link removed]] .
Read about these developments and more in the resources below.
Read our report [#link]
Featured Updates
C hild Care Assistance Landscape: Inequities in Federal and State Eligibility and Access [[link removed]]
In late June our team released the report Child Care Assistance Landscape: Inequities in Federal and State Eligibility Access, which analyzed CCDBG access and eligibility in each state with available data across race and ethnicity, based on both federal and state eligibility criteria. It includes a fact sheet with each state's disaggregated data.
Read our report and state fact sheets [[link removed]]
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Recent Publications
Expanding Access to Child Care Assistance: Opportunities in the Child Care and Development Fund [[link removed]]
Rachel Wilensky updates the Expanding Access to Child Care Assistance report to include new CCDF final rule provisions. The report offers ways for states to expand access to care within the flexibilities of current federal regulations.
Ensuring Affordable and Accessible Child Care for All [[link removed]]
Our team discusses the state of the child care industry, affordability challenges, and the underutilization of CCDBG funding in this brief.
The Need to Better Address Child Care Expenses in Family Economic Data [[link removed]]
Alyssa Fortner and Stephanie Schmit explore how rising child care costs significantly impact families’ economic security and spending power, yet the intricacies of this impact for families with different circumstances and costs of care is not captured well in data. They uplift the need to better capture the full picture of child care expenses in family economic data as the Census Bureau’s annual poverty statistics are released.
New Head Start Final Rule Significantly Improves Workforce Compensation and Better Supports Children and Families [[link removed]]
Shira Small outlines key updates from the new Head Start final rule, from increased Head Start teacher compensation to improved mental health supports for families.
Federal Investments Are Essential as the Final Child Care COVID Relief Funds Expire [[link removed]]
Shira Small and Alyssa Fortner highlight the tremendous accomplishments states achieved with ARPA funding and what is at stake when the emergency funds fully expire on September 30.
Cost-Sharing for Child Care: Looking at the Tri-Share Model [[link removed]]
Elijah Rassoul, Alyssa Fortner, and Shira Small explore the Tri-Share model, which splits the cost of child care between parent(s), employers, and the state. Read about the policy, lessons learned, and what states might want to consider in exploring this model.
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Recent Events
QI Summit 2024: Reimagining Quality in Early Care and Education [[link removed]]
On August 8, Tiffany Ferrette presented at a Build Initiative summit [[link removed]] about the recently released CCDF final rule and how the new requirements and recommendations can strengthen quality in child care systems.
Strong Providers, Strong Programs and Strong Systems: Innovations and Investments in Home-Based Child Care [[link removed]]
On July 29, Tiffany Ferrette presented at a Home Grown Child Care [[link removed]] convening about the CCDF final rule, providing examples of final rule policies already being implemented across states and discussing the related role of home-based care in the child care sector.
60 Years of Progress and Pitfalls: What’s Next in the War on Poverty [[link removed]]
On June 4, Tiffany Ferrette reflected on the history and role of child care in economic advancement at a Congressional hill briefing honoring the War on Poverty’s 60th anniversary.
Child Care Aware of America 2024 Symposium [[link removed]]
*
On
May
19,
Stephanie
Schmit
and
Alisha
Saxena
presented
about
Inequitable
Access
to
Child
Care
[[link removed]]
subsidies.
This
session
covered
how
limited
federal
investments,
state
funding
constraints,
and
restrictive
policies
make
the
CCDF
out
of
reach
for
far
too
many
children
and
families.


*
On
May
20,
Rachel
Wilensky,
Alyssa
Fortner,
and
Shira
Small
presented
Opportunities
for
States
to
Expand
Access
to
Child
Care
Assistance
[[link removed]]
,
detailing
how
the
lack
of
a
comprehensive
child
care
and
early
education
system
impacts
access
to
child
care
assistance.
They
reviewed
policy
levers
that
can
equitably
increase
access
within
the
confines
of
the
current
system
and
highlighted
examples
of
positive
state
progress.


*
On
May
22,
Tiffany
Ferrette
and
Alyssa
Fortner
presented
about
Centering
Black
Families:
Equitable
Discipline
through
Improved
Data
Policies
in
Child
Care
[[link removed]]
.
The
session
explored
how
enduring
anti-Black
racism
in
child
care
can
be
addressed
to
support
systemic
change
in
discipline
policies
through
equitable
data
practices.


[[link removed]]
Did you know?
CCDBG subsidies are not reaching the vast majority of eligible families. [[link removed]]
Based on state income eligibility limits, only 14 percent [[link removed]] of potentially eligible children nationwide accessed a CCDBG subsidy in 2020. This percentage falls to 10 percent under federal income eligibility limits. See how your state [[link removed]] compares.
[[link removed]]
Did you know?
CCDBG subsidies are not reaching the vast majority of eligible families. [[link removed]]
Based on state income eligibility limits, only 14 percent [[link removed]] of potentially eligible children nationwide accessed a CCDBG subsidy in 2020. This percentage falls to 10 percent under federal income eligibility limits. See how your state [[link removed]] compares.
Media Mentions

WBUR NEWS
Study highlights gaps in child care subsidy access due to state income eligibility caps [[link removed]]
"Things like limited federal investments and state funding constraints and restrictive policies at the state level mean that subsidy access is really out of reach for far too many children and families," said Stephanie Schmit, director of child care and early education for CLASP.
INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE
Most eligible Indiana families don't access federal child care subsidies, per new report [[link removed]]
THE BEACON
Thousands of Kansas families miss out on child care subsidy [[link removed]]
“On the federal level, we need more money and better policy. And then at the state level, we need more money and better policy,” Schmit said. “It’s pretty straightforward.”
WEST VIRGINIA WATCH
What’s the point of a surplus if West Virginians are suffering from lack of child care providers [[link removed]]
And more! For additional child care and early education press clips, please click here . [[link removed]]
Social Media Highlights

Child Care Hearing in the Senate Finance Committee [[link removed]]
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Honoring Black Maternal Mental Health Week [[link removed]]
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Celebrating Providers for Provider Appreciation Day [[link removed]]
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Meet the Team

[[link removed]] Meet Elijah Rassoul, our 2024 summer intern! Joining us as a Zero Hunger Intern from the Congressional Hunger Center, Elijah provided valuable support for our team this summer, including on this newsletter! We wish him the best of luck with his junior year at the University of Michigan this fall.


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CLASP
1310 L St. NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC xxxxxx
United States