Sponsors (108)
Official title: To increase the quality and supply of child care and lower child care costs for families.
Introduced July 15, 2025 by Robert C. Scott · Last progress July 15, 2025
The bill greatly expands and improves access, quality, and workforce supports across child care, preschool, and Head Start through sizable federal investments and standards, but does so at substantial recurring federal cost and with significant state/provider administrative burdens and transition risks that could produce short‑term provider strain or reduce participation by some smaller or faith‑based providers.
Parents and young children—especially low‑income, infant/toddler, nontraditional‑hour, and high‑need families—gain substantially expanded access to affordable or free high‑quality child care and universal preschool beginning in 2026, lowering out‑of‑pocket costs and increasing options.
Early childhood educators and Head Start staff receive higher, more stable wages, pay parity supports, and expanded professional development and credentialing, improving recruitment, retention, and classroom quality.
Child care and Head Start providers get new operating support, facility and startup grants, technical assistance, and predictable multi‑year federal grants, lowering barriers to opening/expanding slots and investing in facilities and business capacity.
Taxpayers face large, recurring federal spending increases (multi‑billion annual commitments across child care, preschool, and Head Start), which could increase deficits or require offsets or higher taxes.
States and local governments face matching, maintenance‑of‑effort, and non‑Federal share requirements that could strain state budgets, force difficult reallocations, or reduce funding for other programs.
Significant new administrative, reporting, and compliance requirements for states, lead agencies, and providers will increase staff time and costs, and may disadvantage smaller or rural providers that lack capacity to comply.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a new federal Child Care and Early Learning Program, provider stabilization grants, a Universal Preschool program, extended-duration Head Start grants, and multi-year appropriations for FY2026–FY2031.
Creates a new Child Care and Early Learning Program for children birth through five, establishes a stabilization and workforce grant program for child care providers, and funds a Universal Preschool title for 3- and 4-year-olds. It expands definitions and eligibility, sets state requirements for use of quality funds, creates grants to expand hours and supply (including extended-duration Head Start grants), and provides appropriations authority for FY2026–FY2031 for states, tribes, and territories.