In Response to the President’s Budget Proposal and Recent Comments on Child Care
Last Friday, April 3, the Administration released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. The proposal offers little for young children and their families. In fact, aside from eliminating the Preschool Development Grants Birth to Five program—which supports the coordination and improvement of early childhood systems—child care is largely absent from the budget altogether, despite the growing child care crisis facing families and educators across the country.
Budgets reflect priorities. This proposal does not prioritize investments in supportive service programs like child care, Medicaid, and Medicare. By omitting meaningful investments in these areas, the budget suggests that the programs families rely on most are expendable. Federal cuts to social service programs that support children and families will increase pressure on states, shifting costs and deepening inequities in access to care and support.
Child care and other supportive programs are not expendable. Child care is a public good and a critical piece of the nation’s economic infrastructure. Families cannot work without safe, reliable care for their children, and young children cannot build the strong foundations they need for lifelong learning and well-being without stable, nurturing early environments. Refusing to acknowledge and invest in children during this most critical stage of development undermines families, communities, and the long-term strength of our economy.
Family child care is a vital part of the nation’s child care system and often fills gaps that other programs cannot. Family child care educators frequently serve families working evening, overnight, or weekend shifts; families in rural communities; and families seeking smaller, relationship-based environments that reflect their language, culture, and community values. For millions of families, family child care is the only child care option that works.
Family child care educators are small business owners who care for and educate children in home-based settings full-time. They meet licensing requirements, pursue specialized training and education, and maintain quality standards while simultaneously managing paperwork and billing, preparing meals, maintaining safe environments, and nurturing young children for long hours each day.
Weakening investments in child care will not strengthen the system. It will drive family child care educators out of the field, reduce options for families, and further destabilize an already fragile sector.
Family child care educators are asking for policies that recognize the essential role they already play in educating young children, supporting families, and powering the nation’s workforce. If we want a strong economy, healthy families, and thriving communities, we must treat family child care as the essential infrastructure that it is—and invest accordingly.
NAFCC urges Congress to carefully consider the role child care plays in supporting working families and the broader economy as it develops its own budget proposals. Continued and strengthened investments in child care are essential to ensure families have access to safe, reliable care and that family child care educators can continue serving their communities. We also encourage family child care educators to share their experiences with their members of Congress. Hearing directly from educators about the realities of running a family child care program—and the importance of family child care in their communities—can help inform policymaking and ensure that child care is elevated in the final federal budget.
We urge family child care advocates and supporters to Take Action Now.
