Sponsors (53)
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Introduced September 30, 2025 by Mikie Sherrill · Last progress September 30, 2025
Creates a federally administered, universal child care and early learning entitlement available to all children below school age, funded largely by the federal government and run through designated "prime sponsors" (states, tribes, localities, and nonprofit entities). It sets national program and facility standards, requires prime sponsors to submit comprehensive local plans, limits family fees, establishes teacher pay parity and living-wage minimums, provides grants for start-up/quality activities, and adds maintenance-of-effort and anti-duplication rules to existing child-care law.
The bill expands universal, federally funded early care and learning with stronger workforce, equity, and quality supports—greatly increasing access and standards—but it creates large, open‑ended federal costs and substantial administrative and compliance burdens that may strain state budgets and risk reducing small providers and local flexibility.
Families with young children (including low-income, Tribal, and migrant families) gain guaranteed access to federally supported comprehensive child care and early learning programs—placements prioritized to family preferences—expanding affordable care for millions of children.
Low‑ and middle‑income families face much lower out‑of‑pocket costs because the federal government covers the vast majority of program costs (at least 90% generally; 100% for some groups), fees are capped (sliding scale tied to State median income, max 7%), and targeted higher Federal shares/grants help high‑poverty areas.
Early care and education workers (teachers, staff, family child‑care providers) benefit from higher, more consistent pay, baseline competency standards, and professional development supports—improving workforce quality and reducing turnover.
American taxpayers face substantially higher federal costs because the proposal creates an uncapped entitlement with 'such sums as may be necessary' language and broad universal eligibility.
State and local governments may face fiscal strain and reduced budget flexibility because maintenance‑of‑effort rules and required spending levels constrain cuts and could force difficult tradeoffs during budget shortfalls.
Prime sponsors, states, and providers will face significant new administrative and compliance burdens—comprehensive plans, annual reporting, MOUs, accreditation, monitoring, and evaluations—that raise overhead and implementation complexity.