First Five Years Fund

10/09/2026

Great to see WNC Early Childhood Coalition and Senator Ted Budd's office discussing child care priorities in Congress and beyond!

10/08/2026

This Head Start Awareness Month we are highlighting this important program's long history of service to young learners and their families!

Learn more about what makes this program essential for kids, their families, and communities.

Head Start is a federally funded program that delivers comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children ages 3 through 5 experiencing poverty and their families.

10/07/2026

MIECHV is making headlines! FFYF has a roundup of news from around the country showing the impact new federal Home Visiting Grants will have on young children and families.

Get the stories here: ffyf.org/making-news-miechv-grants-2026

10/07/2026

NEW polling in North Carolina shows voters in the state are feeling anxiety over child care costs and want action from lawmakers - more details at Education NC

Get the full story here: https://www.ednc.org/10-6-2026-north-carolina-voters-identify-childcare-as-a-major-affordability-and-workforce-challenge/

10/06/2026

It’s important that Congress has the latest facts and data on what Head Start means for children in their state.

Help make sure they do: Send FFYF’s new Head Start state fact sheets to your Members! https://www.ffyf.org/take-action/

10/05/2026

We can’t let mountains of paperwork stop us from giving kids the care they need. We have a bipartisan bill to cut red tape and make sure more families can get affordable child care.

10/05/2026

Worth A Read: Jackie Mader from The Hechinger Report highlights the recently passed SEED Act which will give early educators the same tax benefit as their K-12 counterparts for out-of-pocket classroom expenses.

Read the full story here: https://hechingerreport.org/child-care-workforce-tax-break/

10/05/2026

FFYF’s First Look shares the latest news - national, local, and everything in between - on child care and early learning.

Subscribe to FFYF’s First Look to stay in the know:

Receive daily updates on the latest child care and early learning news from across the country in just 5 minutes.

10/02/2026

Want to become an expert on federal child care and early learning programs?

FFYF Insider highlights new data, state stories, bipartisan legislation, bill passage in both the House and Senate, and more.

Subscribe to FFYF’s Insider to receive weekly updates:

Receive weekly updates on bipartisan policy opportunities, data reports, and ways you can take action by subscribing to FFYF Insider.

10/02/2026

On behalf of hard-working families with little ones – and the child care providers who make sure they’re receiving quality care – THANK YOU Sen. Cortez Masto and Sen. Chuck Grassley for signing on to the bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act.

Check out the bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2828/cosponsors