What New York's child care plan means for families
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have unveiled a plan to offer free child care for 2-year-olds.
Health and Human Services freezes child care funds to Minnesota amid renewed focus on fraud
A right-wing influencer claimed last week that day care centers, many of them run by members of the Somali community, are closed despite receiving federal funds.
Expert on racial wealth gap reflects on Trump accounts
The Trump Administration is releasing more information this week on the Trump Accounts that Congress recently passed, which would give eligible kids born from 2025 to 2028 $1,000 from the...
The history of child care
A veto by former President Richard Nixon in 1971 laid the groundwork for the state of child care today.

Some Head Start programs still closed, days after shutdown ends
While most classrooms are open, 140 Head Start programs — some comprising multiple learning centers — are still without federal resources.
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How one parent is navigating her local Head Start closure during the government shutdown
As of Wednesday, Head Start sites in at least 18 states and Puerto Rico have had to close their doors, according to First Five Years Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group.
How Head Start programs are staying open in Tallahassee: 'We can't shut down on our children'
As some Head Start early learning programs close across the country due to the government shutdown, we check in with how the community is coming together to keep doors open...

With the cost of child care soaring, ‘people are looking for other options’
When federal money for child care ran out, Arizona stepped up.

Head Start teacher on working without pay during the government shutdown
Some Head Start educators are already working without pay in Tallahassee, Florida, and have let families know they may close their centers after this week.

New Mexico to become first state to make child care free
Starting in November, every parent in the state — no matter how much they earn — will be able to obtain child care at no cost.

'I have absolutely no retirement': How child care workers are being impacted by rising prices
Educators in the child care sector have seen their wages jump about 60% in the last 15 years. But with a median wage at just $14 an hour, they’re still...

Why Iowa's governor boosted child care access without the support of lawmakers
Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds says one of her key priorities is to make child care more accessible for families.
Students work to fill gaps in child brain development research
The functional near-infrared spectroscopy cap, or fNIRS cap, is used to study the brain activity of children. But it has limits.

Broad bipartisan support exists for child care investment. So why is it still so expensive?
Child care costs continue to climb for families with young children. If you have two kids, the bill can rival your mortgage or rent each month.

How indoor air quality impacts babies and toddlers
New research highlights indoor air quality can have a powerful impact on the health and development of babies and young children.

Ms. Rachel says she’ll keep advocating for children in Gaza, even if it means risking her career
Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, made headlines in recent weeks for speaking out on her social media platforms about children living inside Gaza. Her comments have sparked...

Why one family that relies on Medicaid has faith in President Trump
Families of infants and toddlers from around the country are in Washington, D.C. this week to tell lawmakers to protect Medicaid.

How much milk do babies drink while breastfeeding?
Researchers have come up with a device to take the guesswork out of a common breastfeeding challenge: figuring out how much your baby is actually drinking in real time.

Utah child care provider says the free market can’t fix everything
More than 1,000 child care providers around the country are closed on Monday to fight for better wages for workers and lower costs for families.

Federal survey of new moms is on pause. What does that mean for postpartum health?
At the same time President Trump wants to encourage Americans to have more babies and reverse declining birth rates, his administration has also stopped collecting key data to better understand...