Preparing for the Public Charge Regulation: Resources for ECE Stakeholders

The Trump Administraton's public charge regulation will go into effect on February 24, 2020 in every state except for Illinois. This rule makes it harder for low- and moderate-income immigrants to obtain long-term status in the United States. The regulation is designed to be confusing—research and media reports demonstrate that families are already withdrawing from important services out of fear. It's important for early care and education stakeholders to know the facts and share accurate, up-to-date information with the families they serve.

These resources will help early education providers confidently answer questions about public charge:

• The Final Public Charge Rule: Five Things Early Childhood Stakeholders Need to Know. This two-page factsheet provides a quick overview of the regulation and it includes suggestions for talking to parents. This resource is also available in Spanish. 
• The Public Charge Rule and Young Children: Q&A. This document provides a more detailed overview of public charge provisions, how the regulation will affect immigrant families with young children, and other important information specifically for the early childhood community.

The Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign, which CLASP co-chairs, is rallying its hundreds of partner organizations to participate in a Teach-In Day on February 24. Please consider joining in on this first day of the public charge rule’s implementation to help the communities you serve better understand how the rule affects them. 

Please contact [email protected] with questions or to report how public charge is affecting your state or community.