Here are some of the highlights from our 25th year:  

 January: We kicked off our administrator call   series convening Child Care and Development   Fund (CCDF) administrators and agency staff to   discuss key policy issues in the child care   space, including increasing provider   compensation, lowering costs for families,  and   implementing federal regulations. 

February: We honored Black History Month and highlighted CLASP resources that address the significant role of Black women in the history of child care, while reflecting on the ways child care in the United States has historically been shaped by anti-Black racism and discrimination. 

March: New federal regulations brought crucial updates to CCDF intended to increase access and affordability for families and institute more reliable compensation for providers. The regulatory changes include capping family copayments at 7 percent, requiring that states have an online subsidy application, streamlining the payment process for providers, and more.

April: CLASP released state-by-state estimated allocations of the increases in child care spending legislated in the 2024 appropriations bill. The act’s allocations included an increase of $725 million in discretionary funds for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). 

May: We were proud to present at the Child Care Aware Symposium about inequitable access to child care subsidies, ways states can improve access to care, and equitable discipline through improved data policies in child care.

June: CLASP released a detailed update of our inequitable access report, which analyzed child care subsidy access and eligibility in each state with available data across race and ethnicity, based on both federal and state eligibility criteria.

July: CLASP published its A Path Forward series, examining both the progress and the work remaining in key policy areas, including child care. The series envisions a more equitable and stable future for communities of color, immigrant communities, and communities with low incomes, among others.

August: The Head Start final rule was released, marking key increases to teacher pay and improving families’ access to mental health services. However, these improvements cannot be fully implemented without increased investment.

September: CLASP and the National Women's Law Center published a brief about the impact of COVID-19 relief funding as the final round of relief funds expired on September 30th, demonstrating the need to increase investment in child care to protect and improve families' access to care. 

October: Together with the Economic Policy Institute’s Economic Analysis and Research Network, CLASP organized and moderated a panel about child care equity across the country in a webinar featuring an administrator, an advocate, a parent, and a provider. P.S. Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog with some of their reflections!  

November: CLASP released a statement on the results of the 2024 election, continuing our commitment to advocating for the safety, rights, and economic security that families with low incomes, workers, children, and immigrants deserve.

December: The CLASP team led and participated in numerous planning and strategy conversations to prepare for the new administration. We joined child care advocates across the nation for the National Women’s Law Center's Child Care and Early Learning Advocates' Convening, co-led a gathering of state and national organizations with the Child Care for Every Family Network, and participated in strategy sessions with Care Can't Wait and young child and family advocates, among many others.

As we roll up our sleeves for 2025, we are committed to protecting and advancing local,  state, and federal policies that make child care easier to access. We acknowledge the challenges ahead, particularly as we enter the first fiscal year without COVID-19 relief funding since it was passed. We know that families continue to struggle finding and affording care, and that without increased federal investment, states will have a hard time preserving past progress and implementing new regulations from the 2024 CCDF and Head Start final rules.  

The new year will bring change, with a new Presidential administration and Congressional makeup in Washington. However, our goals remain the same: to fight for policies that work for people with low incomes; to work across CLASP’s issues to protect child and family well-being and rights; and to advance racial equity in the child care and early education sector. 

Featured Update

Cliff Notes: Pandemic Relief Funding Teaches Lessons About the Need for Sustained Child Care Investments

On September 30, COVID-19 relief funding fully expired. We partnered with the National Women’s Law Center to document the lessons learned from the unprecedented influx of funds. Lesson 1? Public investment works.

Fall Publications

Reflections on President Johnson’s War on Poverty in Light of the Recent Census Bureau Report 

Eddie Martin, Jr., CLASP’s Deputy Executive Director for Racial Equity, outlined takeaways from the Census Bureau’s 2023 poverty and income report and the policy changes needed to continue the war on poverty in this blog. 

25 Years of Child Care and Early Education Blog Series

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of CLASP’s child care and early education team, former team members and CLASP leaders reflected on the work of the past quarter-century. Explore the blog series below: 

• CLASP Child Care Team at 25: Reflections From the Early Years 

• CLASP Child Care Team at 25: Reflections From a CLASP Early Team Member 

• CLASP Child Care Team at 25: Reflections From a CLASP Trustee

• CLASP Child Care Team at 25: Reflections From a Policy Analyst 

Fall Media Mentions

THE 74

As Pandemic Funding Ends, Parents Face Host of Child Care Challenges

THE KANSAS REFLECTOR

Kansas child care providers say subsidies difficult to access, survey finds

COMMON DREAMS

New Report on Pandemic-Era Funding Shows 'Childcare Crisis Is a Policy Choice'

Social Media Highlights

Click here to follow the child care team's new Bluesky account and follow the CLASP account for cross-team updates on the work we are doing to support children and families.